A Long Way Down
by NephilimEQ
Summary: A case in Maine brings two agents closer together in an unexpected way. But can it survive when they go back to D.C.? PLEASE REVIEW! I LIVE FOR REVIEWS!
1. Part I

**Part I**

Everyone on the team filed into the room, all of their eyes focused on the screen as JJ debriefed them on the situation.

"Ogunquit, Maine. There have been five murders in the past seven weeks, all of them within this small town. Police have no leads as to who the perpetrator is, but they do know one thing. This particular unsub keeps his victims alive the entire time, and only kills them hours before they are found. They think that he's keeping them between seven and ten days. So far, he has left behind no physical evidence."

She then brought up the photos of the victims.

"All of them are young females between the ages of twenty and twenty-eight. Brown hair, hazel eyes, all of them around five foot three with similar body types. None of them show any signs of outward physical trauma, and none of them were sexually abused."

She flipped to the crime scene photos.

"This unsub kills his victims by breaking their necks. And, as far as the Ogunquit Police Department can tell…he's doing it himself, with his own hands."

JJ then paused, and then scanned up another photo onto the screen and looked over at Reid as she spoke.

"The only evidence that has been found at each crime scene is this."

She watched as every member of the team looked at the photo carefully and she waited…as she had silently predicted in her own head, Reid began to speak.

"The Death Card in Tarot is commonly misunderstood…it doesn't so much represent actual physical death as it does metaphorical death, more regarding strong changes or transitions within a person's life, and not necessarily their own demise…"

Everyone nodded, and then Morgan spoke up.

"Why are we just being called in now?"

JJ exchanged a loaded glance with Hotch and then quickly explained.

"We're being called in now because Elaine Wright, the wife of the Chief of Police for Ogunquit, Maine, Jason Wright, has gone missing." She popped the photo onto the screen. "And she fits the unsub's type."

Prentiss joined in. "How long has she been missing?"

"One day."

At this, everyone looked up at JJ in surprise, everyone, that was, except for Hotch. She had told him about the situation and he was prepared for the looks and the questions. But, surprisingly, none of them came.

Instead, Rossi said, "Well, that means we have, at the least, five days to find this guy. Let's get going, then."

With that, they all stood and grabbed their case files.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotch said as they walked out, glancing over at JJ briefly, giving her an indecipherable look before grabbing his own papers and walking out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 1?**


	2. Part II

**Part II**

The team immediately began to examine the case from all sides.

"He's killing them with his bare hands," Prentiss said, surprise evident in her voice. "That's intimate, risky, and can easily go wrong. The fact that he's getting so close to them when he kills them tells us that he's strong, physically, and that he's _definitely_ taking it personally."

Morgan nodded, picking up where she had left off.

"Yeah, and looking at the dump sites, he knows the area and how not to be seen." He pointed at a map of the area. "None of these sites are more than seven miles away from the town's police station, and yet no one has seen anything suspicious in the area. He knows how to blend in and where the best places are to put the bodies that they'll give him enough time to get away, while at the same time being in an area that they will be easily found."

Rossi nodded and then added in his five cents.

"It's interesting, though, how all of his previous victims have been single, and now he goes after a married woman? What happened? Why'd he change?"

They all thought silently for a moment, and then Hotch spoke.

"JJ, what do you think?"

Everyone looked at Hotch in surprise, including JJ, not quite believing what he'd just said. Her eyes locked with his for a second and a quick look passed between the two of them, unnoticed by the rest of the team.

"Hotch, I'm just the media liaison, not a profiler-"

He cut her off. "Yes, but you're the one that picks the cases we take, and I want to know what your take on this is. Why do you think he changed?"

She hesitated for a moment, well aware of five pairs of eyes on her, and then took a deep breath. She had actually been wondering the same thing, and had already thought of a theory.

"I…I think he changed because he found that he was missing something."

They all looked at her expectantly, so she continued. "All of his previous victims showed no sign of any physical trauma, so I think the reason why he's taking them is psychological. He needs them to fulfill some sort of relationship need that he's missing in his own life; that of a strong female role. When they don't live up to his ideal after a certain trial period, he discards them, thinking that if they're not good enough for him they're not good enough for anybody."

Rossi's eyes lit at the idea and he nodded his head towards her in a sign of respect for her insight. She was on to something there.

JJ continued.

"I think he's gone after Elaine Wright because she has something that the other women didn't…a steady, solid relationship."

They looked at her in surprise, but then Reid responded.

"Actually, JJ has an excellent point. All of our previous victims weren't in any relationships, and a lot of them fit the independent woman profile. Mid-twenties, solid jobs, strong social life…"

He paused and then glanced back at the case file. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if none of them had ever had a healthy, serious relationship."

Everyone went silent, all contemplating what that could mean for their killer. Was he trying to make them into the perfect mother? The perfect wife? And what was he doing to see if they were up to the task? What was he trying accomplish and how did each of these women fail?

* * *

><p><strong>Part 2?**


	3. Part III

**Part III**

As they walked through the front door of the station, they were greeted by the sheriff.

"Hey, glad you come so quickly," the young man said. His name was John McKiernan, and from his red hair and green eyes, it was obvious where his heritage came from. "We've got a room set up for you, all ready to go."

JJ took to the lead and shook the man's hand. "Agent Jennifer Jareau. Thank you for notifying us, Sheriff McKiernan."

He nodded. "Of course. Right this way."

They followed him into a room off of the main office area and found a large table with several boxes on it.

"Everything we have on the previous murders," McKiernan said, motioning towards the boxes.

Hotch nodded at him, an obvious nod of dismissal, and then turned to the team. "Okay, first thing we need is an in depth look at each of the victim's personal lives. Something, no matter how small, connects all of these women in some way. Whatever that something is, is where we can find our unsub."

They all nodded and they pulled out the files, quickly getting to work.

Reid had set up a board to the side that had a map of the town. He had started the unsub's geological profile, and it was obvious that he was perplexed by something. He kept on glancing down at the files in his hands and then back up at the board, his brow furrowing in confusion.

JJ sidled up to him, nudging his shoulder.

"What's bothering you, Spence?"

He pointed at the red push-pins that he'd placed on the map. "This is where our unsub has dumped the bodies, so, of course, we've naturally assumed that he's from the area. It's obvious he knows the town intimately, but something is odd about the dump sites…"

She gave him a sideways look and watched as he sorted through what he was trying to say.

"It seems that there should be a pattern. As human beings we naturally create patterns, consciously and unconsciously, even when we're trying to avoid making patterns. In fact, just the act of trying to avoid creating a pattern, creates a pattern all on its own…but here, there's nothing."

JJ gave him another look. "What do you mean, nothing?"

He lifted his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean _nothing_. It's like he's being driven by something that we don't understand and it's forcing him to act completely erratically…"

Rossi had been listening in and walked over to them, adding his own input.

"What if he's going to these places because they have some _personal_ significance to him?"

JJ gave him a look. "You mean, like something happened to him at each location? Something involving this person that he's trying to replace with these women?"

Rossi nodded. "Exactly. Like he's trying to change his past."

At that, Hotch suddenly stood up, reading something from one of the case files. "Found something. Tricia Sherwood, our second victim, and Lacey Holden, the third victim, both were in a support group for abused women..." He looked up at the team. "…The same support group: Women's Advocacy."

At that, everyone looked up and Morgan grabbed his phone.

"I'll call Garcia, see what she can tell us about the other victims and if any of them were in abusive relationships."

Hotch nodded, obviously agreeing with Morgan's decision. He then looked over at JJ and singled her out yet again, making her feel slightly exposed.

"JJ, I'd like you to work with me to come up with a good press release for what we've found out so far." He then turned his attention to everyone else. "Prentiss, Rossi, I want the two of you to head over to the first dump site, see what you can add to the profile of our unsub. Reid, see if you can find connections with any of the locations."

Reid nodded, and Rossi and Prentiss grabbed their coats and walked out of the room. Hotch looked up at JJ and motioned for her to come to the end of the table.

She sat down next to him and began to work out a statement for the press.

Morgan headed down to where Reid sat and called Garcia, putting her on speakerphone so that they could both hear what she had to say.

"Hey, baby girl, you're on speakerphone."

They could hear the grin in her voice. _"Of course I am, my beautiful man. So, you have contacted the goddess of wisdom and absolute power…how may I be of service to you?"_

Morgan grinned at her words, and then he quickly explained.

"Okay, here it is. We've sent you all the names of our victims. We need to know about their personal lives, their romantic relationships. If any of them have ever been in any support groups for women in abusive relationships."

"_Okay, got it."_ There was a pause. _"Only the two you mentioned before, my prince. Tricia Sherwood and Lacey Holden. None of the other victims."_

Morgan sighed in exasperation, but then Reid spoke up.

"Actually, Garcia, could you check to see if any of the other women have been hospitalized for fractured or broken bones, or if any of them have had noise complaints filed against them?"

They could hear the faint sound of her fingers flying over the keys of her keyboard, and then she let out a small exclamation.

"_You are good, my fine friend. Yes, all three of the other victims have had such incidences. Uhh, Meaghan Dayton was hospitalized on several different occasions for "falling down some stairs" and such suspicious circumstances…Rachel Daniels had three different domestic disturbances over the past five months…and your last, most recent victim, Cara Bedford, had a combination of both."_

Morgan looked at Reid and a look of comprehension ran across his face.

"There's our connection…they're not just similar physically, they've all been in abusive relationships." He paused, for a moment and then continued. "Maybe he thinks that he's saving these women and that what he's giving them is a second chance."

At this, Reid's eyes snapped up to Morgan's.

"Morgan…if he thinks he's saving them, then we need to check Elaine Wright against the victimology to make sure that she fits."

Morgan nodded and started to speak, but Garcia cut him off.

"_I'm already on it, my chocolaty goodness."_ They waited a few moments and then heard her come back on, a note of perplexity in her tone. _"Uhm, hate to be the rain on your parade, but not a single hospital visit, not a single complaint…I got nothing. Sorry, my boys…there is no record of any trouble in this marriage."_

With that, they sighed.

"It's okay, baby girl. Thanks for helping us out."

They hung up, and tried to wrap their head around the new information. It didn't fit the profile. Yes, Elaine Wright was the right physical type, but that was the only thing that fit. In all of the other aspects, she was the complete opposite. She was a housewife, married, and had never been in an abusive relationship.

Why had the unsub changed?

They pondered over this for a brief moment, and Morgan stood up from where he sat and looked down the table to where JJ and Hotch sat working together.

He did a double take as he saw the soft look that Hotch gave JJ as she was bent over the file, writing away…

Wait a second…

When had that happened and how the hell had he missed it?

Morgan suddenly found himself profiling his boss and suddenly making sense of some of his odd behavior over the past few months. Hotch had actually gone home before the rest of the team on at least five separate occasions in the past eight weeks…and he'd actually seen the man smile a few times as well.

JJ had been happier recently as well…and from the corner of his eye he watched as Hotch actually pulled out JJ's chair for her as the both of them stood up.

His eyes widened even further as he saw Hotch's left hand barely brush the media liaison's lower back as the two of them exited the room and headed to alert the media to a press conference.

Something was _definitely_ going on there.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 3?**


	4. Part IV

**A.N. - Jason Wright is portrayed, in my mind, by Jason Isaacs. Hence, I kept the English accent for the character. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Part IV<strong>

Emily followed Dave down the path towards the place where the last body was found.

Prentiss spoke her thoughts out loud as they walked over.

"This looks like a somewhat traveled path, most likely popular for runners, people walking their dogs, family outings…" She paused and took a look around. "It's a fairly wooded area, but not so much that you can't see beyond the path."

Rossi glanced around the area where he stood, having arrived where the body had been dumped.

"From here, I can see the path, but there's still not enough coverage for me to hide even if I were wearing, say, camouflage of some kind." He looked down at the ground and then pulled out the photo of the crime scene. "He placed her on her side, almost as though she were sleeping. Possible remorse?"

Prentiss nodded, acknowledging the possibility.

"Possibly. If he feels remorse, then maybe he had never intended to kill his first victim. Maybe, he had a connection with his first victim."

Rossi nodded.

"That's very likely. However, something's bothering me about this site…it's _too_ close to the path. How did _no_ one see him bringing the body here?"

Prentiss looked around and moved further down the path, trying to figure out if there was any possibility of not being seen. She changed positions on the path, but could not find a single position where it was possible to not see the site. And then something clicked.

"Rossi…maybe, we have this all wrong." He gave her a confused look as he emerged from the woods, and she explained.

"Look, we've assumed that they were already dead when he brought them here, but there was no sign of any physical abuse of any kind. In fact…" She paused, collecting her thoughts. "…They were practically spotless. No leaves in the hair, no grass on their bodies, no dirt…"

She turned around, facing the pathway as though imagining their unsub walking down the dirt trail.

"…Rossi...I think they were alive when he brought them to the dump sites."

* * *

><p>JJ and Hotch walked back into the police station after the briefing that they'd given the press.<p>

The sheriff strode up to them as they entered and cut them off.

"Uh, Agent Hotchner, Agent Jareau…Jason Wright, the Chief of Police, is here to talk to you. He's waiting in your conference room."

They nodded their thanks and headed to the room. This was always the hardest part. Talking to the family…JJ had years of experience with it, but she never enjoyed it. And it was even harder when they didn't even know whether or not the person was going to make it, if they were going to get there in time.

The Chief of Police stood as they entered and shook both of their hands.

"Agent Jareau, Agent Hotchner…so pleased that you and your team are here."

They were surprised when they saw and heard the man. Jason Wright had a distinctive English accent and was at least forty-five years old. That meant that the age difference between him and his wife was at least twenty years. The two agents exchanged a glance, and then sat down across from the man.

It was obvious that the chief was upset. He was wringing his hands and fidgeting, as though unable to sit still, classic signs of emotional duress.

Hotch started.

"Mr. Wright-"

But the chief interrupted. "Please, call me Jason."

Hotch nodded, and then he continued. "Jason…when did you become aware of the fact that your wife, Elaine, was missing?"

Jason ran a hand through his hair and then leaned forward in his chair, placing his arms on the table and linking his fingers. "Well, I had just gotten home from work and I headed to the back of the house, to the kitchen, as I always do when I come home…and then I noticed it."

JJ pressed gently. "You noticed what, sir?"

They watched as his brightened with moisture and he took in a deep steadying breath, obviously trying to control himself.

"She wasn't playing."

JJ and Hotch exchanged a confused look, but before they could ask him to clarify, he explained.

"My wife is a concert pianist, you see, and she always plays in the evenings. She does it because she knows that I love to hear her play, so she always plays the piano at the same time of day...when I come home from work…"

The two agents nodded, understanding.

"…It was quiet…" He paused. "That's how I knew that something was wrong."

He turned his eyes downward, and JJ averted her eyes, realizing that he was in pain and that he wasn't coping with it well. Suddenly, Jason stood and moved towards the door.

"Excuse, me…I need some air."

Hotch stood and walked over to him, asking him one last question. "Uh, sir, I have to ask…were the two of you having any problems in your relationship? Or have you had any problems?"

The chief gave him a knowing look, understanding what he was acting.

"Of course you would ask that…I'm a foreign, older man, nearly twice her age, so, of course, it would look...circumspect." He gave a sad smile. "I'm used to that. But the truth is, Agent Hotchner, is that Elaine and I are very happy with each other. Neither of our parents approved, but we made it work."

He cast a glance over to JJ and saw the look that Agent Hotchner cast to the female agent. Oh, he recognized _that_ look.

Jason smiled to himself, and then nodded to the two agents and walked outside.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 4?**


	5. Part V

**Part V**

Hotch turned to JJ, a question in his eyes.

"So…do you think that he was telling the truth?"

JJ looked at him in surprise. "Why are you asking me, Hotch? Remember, you're the profiler, I'm the media liaison-"

"Let me stop you right there," he cut her off. "First of all, like I said on the jet, you're good at what you do and you have to have some innate profiling skills to do your job…and two, I respect your opinion, JJ, and I value your input. You're a part of this team, too."

She said nothing, but felt a warmth suffuse her face and she knew that she was blushing.

"Now, as I said before, what do you think of the Chief? Is he a suspect?"

JJ shook her head, a grim look on her face.

"No, he's not a suspect. That was genuine grief and pain on his face." Before he could begin to grill her and ask her why she thought that, she went ahead. "When he mentioned that she hadn't been playing, his expression was one of pure agony. The entire time, his eyes kept looking up and to his right…he was remembering, and it hurt him to do so."

Hotch nodded, agreeing with her assessment, but before he could speak, his phone rang.

"Hotchner," he said, automatically putting it on speakerphone.

"_Aaron, it's us,"_ said Rossi over the phone. _"We had part of the profile wrong. He's not bringing their bodies to the dump sites…they're alive when he brings them here."_

The two of them exchanged a look, and part of it clicked for them.

"That's why no one's seeing anything. They blend in, just like any other couple on the trail."

JJ nodded in agreement, but then made an observation.

"Hold on, if they blend in, then he must be _incredibly_ charismatic as well as _very_ physically imposing, in order to keep his victims from drawing attention to the two of them." Hotch nodded in agreement, and JJ continued. "But at the same time, he manages to be charming enough so that no one picks up on his victim's distress…"

JJ looked at Hotch and then it hit her, and she voiced her thought in an unsure tone.

"Almost as if he's taking them on a date?"

At that, Hotch's eyes caught JJ's and at the same time they could both hear exclamations of surprise on the other end of the phone. Hotch looked at JJ with something akin to pride and admiration at what she had just said.

"JJ, you're a genius."

Prentiss then spoke up. _"That's the missing piece! He's courting these women, trying to find the perfect wife…trying to replace the woman who said no to him. That explains why their bodies are so clean, almost pristine…he's dressing them up for the date."_

Rossi then continued her thoughts out loud. _"These dump sites…they're not dump sites, they're where he's proposing to them!"_

Hotch finished everyone's thoughts.

"And when each of them says no, he snaps. They're no longer the perfect woman, and don't deserve to live any more…just like you predicted, JJ."

His eyes regarded her in such a way that she felt the flush returning to face once more. She quickly averted her eyes, but could still feel his appreciative gaze. It wasn't unwanted, but neither was it unexpected. The two of them had slowly grown closer over the past few months.

They had known each other before they'd even had Reid, Elle, or Morgan as a part of their team, and so they had always been closer than anyone else on the team.

They confided in each other and they understood each other in ways that still confused her at times, but in a good way.

But now was not the time to look so carefully at her emotions. Right now they had to catch a killer.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 5?**


	6. Part VI

**Part VI**

Elaine Wright walked around the nicely decorated living room, a feather duster in her hand.

So far, her captor had been completely charming, and he was quite handsome, but she knew what he was capable of; she had seen the crime scene photos of the other women…and she silently prayed that she would get out of it unscathed. She had followed and done everything that he'd requested and it had been fairly easy; in fact, almost enjoyable.

Do some laundry, wash some dishes, vacuum and dust the small home. Tasks that she did every day in her own home. Tasks she guiltily enjoyed.

All of the doors and windows were locked and nailed shut, except for the front door, which he had the key to.

He didn't seem the least bit violent, so she took comfort in that fact.

"Elaine," he said, a smile in his voice as well as on her face. "Do you think that you could start dinner, sweetheart?"

Imagining that he was Jason, she nodded.

"Of course," she said as she plastered a smile on her face. "What would you like, darling?"

He sat up from the chair that he had been sitting in and walked over to where she stood in the doorway to the obviously expensive kitchen. She could tell that it had recently been remodeled, and though she hated to admit it, she liked it.

He put a hand on her shoulder and then slid it up to her neck.

She tried not to flinch as she remembered the photos of the women's snapped necks.

"How about…some rice and chicken casserole?"

Elaine plastered on another fake smile, forcing herself to imagine that it was Jason standing there and not this man. "Okay, that sounds good to me, too. Dinner will be ready in a little over an hour, alright, sweetheart?"

She forced herself to add the endearment onto the end, and swallowed the bile that rose in her throat as he caressed her neck once more.

"Perfect…" was all he said, and then he turned away from her, heading towards the stairs. "I'll be upstairs, working."

He started up the stairs, but then paused on the middle step.

"After dinner, you can play for me…I prefer Matsui."

With that, he was gone, and she quickly wrapped a hand around her mouth to stifle her sobs as all of the fear came rushing back. If she didn't do this perfectly right, if she didn't get it all right…she was going to end up like the rest of them.

With that in mind, she walked into the kitchen, well aware of the fact that he'd removed all of the knives…

There was no fighting back.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 6?**


	7. Part VII

**A.N. - I made up the idea of the traffic pattern stuff that Reid mentions, and I also made up the idea of the Secondary Alpha Male. So, _please_, do NOT take what I say as being actual fact. It is my author's liberty at play here, trying to create a profile to suit my needs. Please enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Part VII<strong>

Reid came back into their room and began to stare at the board, but was interrupted by Morgan, Hotch and JJ as they walked in.

"Hey, Reid," Morgan said. "We've got some more information for you to work with."

Hotch then picked it up from there. "Our unsub isn't killing them before taking them to the dump site; in fact, they're more like date sites. He's most likely proposing to them at the sites, so they're going to have significance to him."

Reid finished his thought.

"Like some place that he'd been before on a significant date…like the woman that he originally proposed to." His face lit up and he began to speak rapidly. "This also explains the Tarot card at each of the crime scenes. The moment is meant to be one of significant change in his life, the death of singlehood to the new beginning of marriage. The fact that they're denying him, forces him, in his mind, to kill them, because they have to fulfill some aspect of the meaning of the card. If not the transition to marriage…then death."

He quickly pulled out his phone and hit one of his speed dials.

"_You are now in the presence of the goddess Garcia, how may I help you?"_

Reid cut straight to the chase. "Hey, Garcia, I need you to cross-reference our victims' locations with common dating sites within the city."

The other three agents gave him an odd look, so he quickly explained what he was doing. "It's actually fairly easy to find where the most common dating sites are simply by analyzing data on directional car traffic patterns on Friday and Saturday nights in small towns, between the hours of seven and eleven pm. There are more limited resources in smaller towns, so fewer places for congregational and recreational areas for large amounts of people. By finding common sites with our victims-"

He was cut off by Garcia.

"_Boy genius, you are truly a genius. _Every_ single dump site is right in the middle of a couply-cetnral. Bravo, my book-man!"_

Immediately, Hotch jumped in.

"Garcia, are there any sites that he hasn't been to?"

They waited a moment, and she answered. _"And you, Agent Awesome, are right as well! There is only _one _place that he hasn't been to, yet. Perkins Cove."_

"You truly are a goddess, baby girl," Morgan said.

"_Awww, you're making me blush. Now, go, do your thing. Garcia gone!"_

With that they both hung up, and all of them exchanged glances, still not quite believing how quickly they'd put together their profile. Now, all they had to do was deliver it to the police and pray that they could find him.

* * *

><p>Prentiss and Rossi had returned, making their team complete and ready to deliver the profile.<p>

Hotch had his right hand hovering over JJ's lower back in silent reassurance that everything would be okay.

Rossi began.

"The man that you're looking for is a white male between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty-five. He's physically strong, obviously so, and incredibly charismatic. He manages to lure these women with his charm, and seems like the last person who might hurt you…"

Prentiss picked up from there.

"These women that he's taking are a representation of the woman who denied him. He is trying to recreate that moment the way that he believes that it should have happened. He takes the time to court them, to charm them, trying to make sure that they will say yes to him when he proposes…but when they don't, or if he feels that they are insincere, he is forced to take drastic measures. His first kill was most likely _not_ planned. This is the one we need to focus on the most, as this is most likely the one that he is linked to in some personal way..."

Reid then continued.

"Our unsub is also most likely incredibly superstitious, with a firm belief in some sort of pagan religion. The Tarot card that he leaves behind, Death, in the definition of a transitory state, is an aspect of that belief that is driving him to kill these women. He doesn't want to, but he feels that he has no choice…"

Then Hotch began to talk.

"He knows the area, and is most certainly a local. He'll have grown up here or around here, and, with his personality, have made many friends, _very_ easily. But he also knows how to blend into the background when he has to, which means that he probably has a fairly unnoticeable position in the community. Most likely a janitorial or heavy labor focused job…"

And Morgan finished up the profile, making sure that everyone was paying close attention to what he was saying, as it was the most important to getting the Chief's wife back alive.

"Where he is keeping these women, we don't know. But we do know this. There is no physical abuse of any kind, and not a single mark on them, not even by accident, which means he most likely has a well-kept home. This home will be kept under lock and key at all times, by him. Only _he_ will have the keys, and he will never let anyone inside his house except for himself and his victims. He is what is called a Secondary Alpha Male. He is strong, but does not focus on the aggression…instead, he focuses on using that strength as protection. It is his number one priority. His actions will be incongruous for what he looks like. He will be physically strong, but he will act hesitant at times, unsure."

And then Hotch added the warning. "If you come across him, do _not_ provoke him. Though his instinct is protection, if provoked he will act out of preservation. We do not want this, for he might change his plans and hurt the woman before he intends to."

Everyone in the room nodded, and they all split up, several of the officers being sent over to Perkins Cove to keep an eye out for their suspect.

Hotch glanced towards JJ once more, a soft look crossing his features, a look that did not go unnoticed by Morgan.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hotch watched as Jason Wright approached them from the back of the room.

"Agents, I just want to thank you for being so quick and…" He paused. "And adept. I don't think I can really thank you-"

Hotch cut him off. "Thank us once your wife is home."

Jason nodded, and then walked back to the back of the room, where they watched as he pulled out a small MP3 player and began to listen to it. Morgan, Reid, Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch all looked slightly confused, but then JJ clarified.

"He's listening to his wife."

With that, she walked out of the room and back into their conference room, Morgan once again noticing his boss's eyes following JJ's retreating form.

Rossi then spoke up.

"I think we should go ahead and start talking to the families, see if they knew anything about the victim's previous bad relationships and if they might be connected to who our unsub is."

Hotch nodded. "Good idea." He glanced back in the Chief's direction, where the man was still pacing. "JJ and I will interview the husband again, see if he remembers anything else. She's the one that doesn't fit, so she could also be the key to finding this unsub."

At that statement, they all nodded, agreeing with their leader's assessment.

JJ followed Hotch once more, this time with a particular question in mind for the husband. She had a hunch.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 7?**


	8. Part VIII

**Part VIII**

Once more, JJ and Hotch sat across from Jason Wright, but now he looked worse than ever.

He had a rough five o' clock shadow and his clothes looked like that he'd been attempting to sleep on an uncomfortable couch and failing miserably.

Hotch glanced over at JJ and she gave him a slight look, indicating that she wanted to take the lead on this one, so he unconsciously pulled back slightly in his chair at the same time that she leaned forward on her forearms.

"Jason…" His eyes came up and she continued. "Before you and your wife met, had she been in any relationships? Serious ones?"

He rubbed his hand across his eyes and she watched as the wheels turned in his head.

"Uh, yes. One."

JJ gave him a look, obviously showing that she wanted him to elaborate.

"Oh. Right. You want to know about it. Okay…let's see what I remember…" He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and both of them noticed as his fingers of his opposite hand began to twist his wedding band around his finger. "It was when she was twenty. They had been dating for a year, and she said that towards the end of the relationship he became abusive…"

Hotch's eyebrow rose at that piece of information. "Abusive?"

"Verbally abusive," Jason clarified. "Apparently they began having arguments over everything, and she couldn't take it anymore, so she left."

JJ wasn't a profiler, but she could tell that the Chief was holding something back.

"Sir…what aren't you telling us?"

He looked up at her in surprise, but then caved. "Well…she _said_ that he wasn't physically abusive, but I know the signs, you know, being in the line of work that I am. I let her keep her secret, as it was how she was able to cope with it all…but I knew."

Hotch nodded in understanding. "A wise choice."

Jason nodded in return, but it was still obvious that something was bothering him.

Hotch took the lead.

"Sir, you need to know something. Our unsub has a particular type of woman that he goes for, but the only aspect that your wife shares with any of the other women is only physical. Do you know of _anyone_ who fits the profile that we gave earlier that knew your wife?"

Jason started to shake his head in the negative, but JJ pushed.

"I know it's hard to admit, but sometimes you just can't see it at first, subconsciously thinking that it's no one that you know, therefore your mind blocks off any possibilities. So, I will ask you again…are you sure?"

He continued to shake his head, but she continued to push.

"He's physically strong, but fades into the background easily. He can be the life of the party one second, and in the next sitting quietly in the corner without anyone noticing what's happened…he has a low paying job, is incredibly charismatic, and is in constant need of control-"

She cut herself off as she saw a look flash across his face.

"Sir?"

"Oh god," he moaned. "How did I not see it? How did I not notice? I'm such an idiot, such a fucking idiot for not seeing…fuck, he was right in front of me!"

Both of them ignored the Chief's harsh language, Hotch now taking the lead.

"Are you saying you know who this man is?"

Jason nodded.

"His name's Dave Bordeaux." He paused, obviously pissed off at himself for not catching it before. "He hires himself out to move furniture. Elaine, around three weeks ago, hired him to move her piano to the other side of the front room. I met him, too…he was a nice guy, someone I'd have a beer with…"

His voice trailed, and JJ could see that he was still thinking.

"...But I remember something. The entire time we talked, I could have sworn that I'd met him before…like an old friend I hadn't seen in years. And I remember, he flirted with Elaine…and, of course, she flirted with him right back. That's just how she relates to people, you know?"

They nodded and he continued.

"I remember how easily he moved the huge thing, yet how…I know this sounds ridiculous, but how charming he was about the whole thing. Like he had been the one to offer his help in the first place, and he kept on saying, 'Really, it's nothing,' over and over again, like that was his spiel or something."

Hotch gave him a scrutinizing look. "Do you remember anything else about him? Anything at all?"

Jason thought it over, his brow furrowing.

"Actually, yes…he had something rolled up in the sleeve of his shirt...it was like what you might do with a pack of cigarettes, but it wasn't because it was too large."

Hotch gave him a pointed look.

"Like a deck of cards?"

At that, a look of comprehension cross the Chief's face and his skin paled several shades. He nodded. "Yes…exactly like a deck of cards."

With that information, Hotch and JJ quickly left the room, determined to get all the information they could on Dave Bordeaux…specifically, his home address.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 8?**


	9. Part IX

**Part IX**

Garcia called them back only seconds after they had hung up with her, asking her to find everything they could on the guy.

"_I hate to be the party crasher, here, but guys…I've got nothing."_

Everyone looked at each other is surprise. How was that possible? Morgan quickly spoke up. "Baby girl, how is that possible? He has a job, doesn't he? Just go through the information that he would have given them when he applied."

She snapped.

"_Okay, who's the computer genius here? Yes, I've tried that, I've tried everything known to man, but I've got zip, zilch, nada, a big ole goose egg. According to everything that I can find…which is next to nothing…Dave Bordeaux doesn't exist. Never has."_

The entire time she had been speaking, Reid's eyes had been staring off into space. Suddenly, he stood up from where he sat on the table and looked at everyone with a startled expression.

"That's because that's not his name…" They looked at him in confusion, but he then blurted out, "Garcia, try looking for a house under the name Beaux Addrove…"

Prentiss quickly caught on.

"Wait…the name that he's using is an _anagram_ for his _real_ name?"

Reid nodded, and then explained how it had come to him. "Ever since you mentioned the name Dave Bordeaux, I had been sure that it was familiar, but I hadn't run across it anywhere in the case files…but I have come across the name Beaux Addrove…"

The team looked at him expectantly and he ended their torment.

"He was Elaine's piano teacher."

Garcia came back on the line. _"You are on fire today, my boy wonder! …Yes, there is a house registered under that particularly weird name, and its location is…22 Capers Street."_

With that, they all got into what JJ personally called their "go" mode. Hotch didn't even have to look at anyone, as everyone on the team immediately grabbed their coats and headed for the front doors of the station, determined to save the Chief's wife.

JJ ended up in the car with Hotch and Reid, and Reid explained as they went, the case file Garcia had sent them in his hands on his tablet.

"Beaux Addrove was a piano prodigy of prolific proportions," he started, and JJ tried not to grin at his creative alliteration. "Born and raised just outside of Ogunquit, he started teaching piano lessons when he was only twelve and started teaching Elaine when he was fifteen and ended up being Elaine's piano teacher for ten years. During that time, he probably made a connection with her that he'd never made with anyone else…she was quite gifted when it came to the piano, almost as much as he was, so he most likely saw her as the only person to ever truly understand him, so to have her taken away from him, or for her to reject him in any way, would have been the worst thing that could happen to him."

JJ then interrupted Reid's stream of words.

"Hold on a second…Reid, when did she start piano lessons?"

"At age four, why do you-?"

She cut him off. "If he taught her for ten years, then she would have only been fourteen when the incident occurred…and he would have been twenty-four." She shared a look with Hotch. "Do we know why the lessons stopped?"

"Actually, there was a note that they'd had a falling out of some kind, something to do with personality incompatibility…it wasn't all that specific…"

His voice trailed as he scanned through the files that Garcia had sent him before leaving the station that had everything on Beaux Addrove that they ever wanted to know, and then JJ exchanged a glance with Hotch.

Hotch picked up on her thoughts and voiced them out loud. "If he had proposed to her, then that would have caused the falling out. They were both musical prodigies and he felt that she was most likely meant for him. Being only fourteen, of course she would have said no, causing him to degenerate over time."

JJ and Reid both nodded, but then JJ voiced the questions that had been nagging at the back of her mind.

"But why now? What caused him to wait all these years to act, and why didn't Elaine recognize him when they met?"

Reid quickly jumped in.

"Actually, I think I know why." JJ turned in her seat to look at him as he explained. "Beaux has been performing on musical tours ever since he stopped teaching her, and only returned to the states two years ago and has been meeting with record producers all the way up to four months ago…he most likely got back into town around the beginning of the murders. His in interest in Tarot most likely developed while he was overseas, and it would have caught his attention because it fits in with his ideologies of fate. Oh," he added, "And I think I know his pattern of killing."

JJ gave him a look and he continued.

"I checked the dates we found the bodies, and all of them are exactly eight days apart. Eight being a significant number in music in reference to the number of notes in an octave, of which there are exactly eight. And the reason why she didn't recognize him, why no one in town did, actually, is because he had an accident while on tour, causing him to undergo extensive maxillofacial reconstruction. His surgeon was one of the best in the world…here," he said, pushing a photo in JJ's direction.

"This is what he looked like before, and this," he pushed another photo towards her. "Is what he looks like now."

JJ looked at the two photos in shock. The man in first photo had a weak chin and jawline, along with a small crooked nose and what looked to be broken glasses. The man in the second photo could have been a male model as far as she was concerned.

"_This_ is Beaux Addrove?"

Reid nodded. "Yep. And not only that, but looking into his records, after the accident he got himself a personal trainer."

JJ nodded at that. "Yes…it all fits." She glanced back at Reid, an odd look on her face. "Does it ever bother you how accurately you guys are able to profile these guys? All the way down to smallest and most insignificant details?"

Reid shrugged. "No, not really."

She rolled her eyes, realizing that she was talking to the wrong person.

Hotch saw her look and withheld a small grin at her expression. She and Reid were such good friends, and it silently pleased Hotch to see her connecting with the team again. She had been distant for the last few days, but now she was back.

He slowed the car to a stop a little less than a block away from the house, and all three of them got out of the car as quietly as possible, and watched as the other car arrived and the rest of their team joined them.

Hotch then turned to all of them and began to explain what was going to happen.

"Okay, we don't want to spook him. We want to get into the house as safely as we can. Morgan, Rossi, take the back. Reid and Prentiss, you're with me." He turned to JJ. "I need you to stay here, and keep contact with the sheriff's office in case we need backup."

JJ protested, a plan having already formed in her mind.

"Wait a second, guys…you said that he's a Secondary Alpha Male, right? A sort of second in command type personality, right?" They nodded. "Okay, then how do you think he'll react to two alpha males at the back of the house, as well as an alpha male and an alpha female at the front of the house?"

Rossi and Morgan were the first to relent. Rossi shook his head in agreement.

"She's got a point, Aaron."

Hotch then saw what she was trying to do. "No, JJ, it's too dangerous."

She shook her head in vehement disagreement.

"No, it's not Hotch. For you…and the other guys," she added almost as a second thought, "It's too dangerous. For me, it's entirely low risk. I'm a trained FBI agent, and I'm the least threatening out of anyone here. He'll talk to me."

It was obvious that Hotch knew that she was right, but he was resenting the fact immensely. Finally, he relented.

"Alright…but one condition."

He then reached down and undid his ankle holster and then knelt on the ground and pulled up her right pant leg, wrapping the holster around her own ankle, his fingers deftly tightening the adjustable strap to fit around her own smaller and more delicate bones.

"You go in armed."

She simply nodded, trying to ignore the warm sensation that ran up her leg at the feeling of his fingers against her bare skin.

Hotch pulled her pant leg back down and stood, and then gave her an inscrutable look, which then turned to one of slight concern. Just before she walked around the corner, he gently gripped her shoulder, catching her attention.

"JJ," he said, his voice low. "Take care of yourself, okay? No foolish heroics."

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a wry smile. "Don't worry. I'll leave that part to you guys."

With that, she disappeared around the corner.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 9?**


	10. Part X

**Part X**

JJ could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she walked up the front porch of the surprisingly normal home.

Actually, it was very similar to one that she'd like to have one day. White washed front porch, stained glass front door, scalloped trim along the edging of the roof. And even though she knew that Beaux Addrove wasn't overly aggressive, she still had her reservations.

Taking a deep and steadying breath, she knocked on the door.

She heard footsteps approaching and her heart was suddenly in her throat as the door pulled open and revealed Beaux himself.

"How can I help you, Miss…?"

JJ plastered a smile onto her face and pulled out her fake, but beautifully perfected, Southern accent.

"Miss Jareau."

"Miss Jareau…well, what can I do for you?"

He was five-foot eleven with incredibly broad shoulders and had brown hair and blue eyes. His smile and look of concern was genuine, and she felt herself confused, but she quickly came up with her story that she'd concocted on her thirty second walk up to the house.

"Hi, Mr. Bordeaux…I was wondering if I could get your help with moving something. You see," she said, leaning in conspiratorially, "I'm moving out of my house, but I don't want my father to know about it, so it would have to be, uhm, off the books?"

He gave her a broad smile that in another circumstance, had she not known who he was and what he'd done, would have utterly charmed her.

He opened the door wide, motioning for her to walk in.

"Please, Miss Jareau…come in."

With that, she walked over the threshold, suddenly incredibly aware of how alone she was. There was no turning back.

* * *

><p>Hotch listened over his earpiece as she talked with the man and he felt his insides clench.<p>

JJ was alone in there, without back up, and he wanted nothing more than to rush in there and take the man down himself. Even though JJ didn't fit the physical profile, she had many of the other aspects, and it was more than enough to make Hotch nervous.

Rossi easily picked up on his friend's nervousness and placed a reassuring hand on Hotch's shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about her, Aaron. In case you've forgotten, she's the best shot at the BAU. She can handle herself."

Hotch nodded, but it was obvious that he was still distraught.

Rossi pulled back and was then surprised when Morgan grabbed him by his shoulder and steered him off to the side, out of hearing range of their esteemed leader.

"Rossi," he started, and immediately Dave was able to pick up on the concern in the agent's tone. "I think Hotch is a bit too close on this one. I mean, I agree that JJ was the best choice to go in there, but Hotch should _not_ be the one calling the shots right now."

Rossi looked at Derek in surprise.

"What do you mean by that?"

Morgan cast another look at their leader, seeing the tension filling his frame.

He simply shook his head and tried to be as obtuse as possible, while still explaining his suspicions. "I…I think that certain judgment calls are best made by someone who is not…" Derek paused, trying to figure out how to word it. "…Not emotionally invested. We need someone who can see things objectively."

Rossi followed Derek's glance, and then chuckled while Morgan looked at him in confusion.

"Derek, if you're just noticing this now, then you're a lousy profiler…" At Morgan's look of shock, Rossi explained. "That's been going on since the first day that I saw the two of them in a room together. It's always been there…you just didn't want to see it."

With that, he patted Morgan on the shoulder and went back to listening to JJ's conversation with their unsub.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 10?**


	11. Part XI

**Part XI**

"So," Beaux said as he sat down across from her on the couch. "What all do you need moved?"

JJ smiled, yet again, and leaned forward slightly in her chair.

"Oh, a few boxes of books, a couple of pieces of furniture…" She let her voice drift and then looked off to the side and sighed, purposely trying to catch his attention. It worked.

"What else?"

She gave him a guilty smile and then stood up and walked over to the piano on the one side of the room.

"Well, actually, I have a piano that I desperately want to keep, but I think my father will notice if _that's_ gone."

He chuckled and she held back the shiver of revulsion that threatened to run through her at the sound.

He walked over to the piano and sat down at the keys and began to play. And even though she knew that he was a murderer, she still couldn't help but be impressed as his fingers flew effortlessly over the keys, allowing a gorgeous melody to fill the room.

He looked up at her and grinned. "Water Lily, by Matsui."

He continued to play, so she carefully maneuvered herself around the piano, running a hand along the edge and glancing around the room.

"Your house is quite beautiful…but why are your windows nailed closed?"

"_See if you can figure out where he's keeping Elaine. If we know where she is, we can avoid anyone getting hurt,"_ she heard Hotch's voice say in her ear.

JJ looked around again, trying to figure out where he could possibly be holding her, but then he answered her previous question.

"Bugs tend to get in otherwise. Nailing the windows shut works wonders for keeping things secure."

He never broke tempo as he spoke, his fingers continuing to fly over the keys, and she strained her eyes to look into other parts of the house. She couldn't just go wandering around the house-that would simply raise suspicion…unless she had a _reason_ to.

"Mr. Bordeaux…may I use your bathroom?"

He nodded as he continued to play. "Up the stairs, second door on your right."

JJ nodded her thanks and then headed up the stairs to the bathroom…and then she saw the light spilling out from the first door on her right. That was most likely where he was holding Elaine. She went into the bathroom and then saw that there was an adjoining door to the room that she'd just passed…no, he wouldn't be so careless as to lead her right to the woman…?

Unless…he didn't plan on letting her go.

Quickly, she spoke in hushed tones to Hotch and the rest of the team.

"Alright, I'm up on the second floor, he's down there all alone, I would advise you to go in, _now!"_

At that she heard sounds of rustling and then two doors being broken down, along with shouts of "FBI!" and several other things. She quickly pulled out the gun from the ankle holster and opened the door that joined to the other room.

And there, sitting on the bed looking utterly terrified, was Elaine Wright.

* * *

><p>They all walked into the precinct, Prentiss following behind everyone with her arm around Elaine's shoulders.<p>

The instant she saw Jason, she seemed to break from the terrified trance that she'd been in and bolted across the room, where he wrapped his arms around her, tightly. JJ watched as the tears began to come from both of them.

It was now painfully obvious to her how much they cared for each other.

Jason then pulled back from the hug to pull his wife's lips up to his for a deep kiss.

JJ felt a pang in her heart at the sight. So many years between the two of them, but so much love as well. It was almost painful for her to watch, but at the same time, they had saved her and that was the most important thing.

Beaux Addrove was in custody, and he had already confessed to the murders of the five women.

Morgan sidled up next to her and gave her a look.

"Hey, JJ…you okay?" She nodded. "Good."

He then placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a brief reassuring squeeze, and then began to talk.

"Well, we finally found out how he met his victims. Apparently, he does a lot of his work through unofficial channels, so we had no idea that he'd moved furniture for every single one of our victims. He was in the house when he took them, and he used chloroform to knock them out before he took them to his work van, and because it was always in the mid-morning, the neighbors never saw anything because most of them were at work."

He paused for a moment, and then continued.

"He's requesting to talk to Elaine, but Hotch doesn't think that's a good idea…what do you think?"

JJ shook her head and let out a small laugh of incredulity.

"I find it interesting that in the past day alone, I've been asked what my opinion is more times than all of our other cases combined..."

She looked up at Morgan and smiled.

"I think that Hotch is right. She doesn't need to go through that again. Whatever happened to her in one day was not the same thing that happened to all of our other victims in eight days…I can tell. When I walked into that room, the look on her face…"

JJ's voice drifted and her eyes lowered. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she next spoke.

"I think that he might have taken advantage of her years ago, but that she's blocked the memories out, managed to forget…until now. He didn't physically hurt her this time, but I'd bet anything that he took advantage of her in the past."

Morgan looked at her in surprise, and then Reid, who had walked over in the middle of their conversation and had been listening in, spoke up.

"Actually, statistically speaking, JJ's most likely right. People who are highly developed mentally, especially someone like him, are much more stunted in their emotional maturity and react in ways that are inappropriate and, simply speaking, tend to overcompensate by showing extreme physical affection because they don't know any other way of showing it. He probably _did_ sexually abuse her at some point while in his role of instructor. In fact, the fact that he's so charismatic now tells me that the incident that happened between him and Elaine in the past actually made him _aware_ of his shortcomings, so he probably took speech classes and social therapy in order to be who is today."

JJ just shook her head in disgust. "Now I know how you feel, Reid…sometimes you just hate being right."

With that, she walked away from the two of them, heading towards their conference room and they through the glass windows as she began to put files back into boxes.

Prentiss and Rossi approached, both of them having heard the whole conversation, but neither of them wanting to interrupt.

The four of them exchanged looks, and then all acknowledged Hotch as he walked over to join them. He gave each of them a searching look, and then began to speak.

"You guys did great work, today. I think that's the fastest we've ever come up with a profile without having any physical evidence of any kind to go on. Good job." He then gave them a tight-lipped smile and then looked towards the conference room, where JJ was still putting things away. "I'll be right back."

With that, he left the four of them staring as he walked away, two of them clueless, one of them concerned, and the fourth with a knowing look.

Rossi nodded to himself, understanding that this was something that had to be done by Hotch, and by Hotch alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 11?**


	12. Part XII

**Part XII**

JJ briefly looked up as Hotch entered the room and then focused once more on putting the files back into their proper places…but then a hand on her wrist stopped her.

She looked up and found a pair of searching brown eyes trained on her own blue ones and found herself at a loss for words.

"JJ," Hotch started, his voice hesitant, but then growing stronger. "You did an amazing job today…you really did. In fact, without your input I don't think we would have been able to catch him as quickly as we did. You did great work…"

She blushed under his praise and slowly extricated her wrist from his grasp.

"All I did was what you guys do all the time, no big deal."

She started to reach for another file, but instead of grabbing her wrist, this time he gently gripped her shoulders and moved himself between her and the table.

"JJ, you don't realize what you did, do you?" She averted her eyes, but he put a hand to her chin and brought her eyes back to his. "JJ, because of your insight and your natural ability to read people, we caught a killer. Without your intuitive leaps, we might have been here for two more days, just trying to figure out that what he was doing was courting his victims…"

She tried to avert her eyes, but he held her fast, his eyes softening.

"Don't sell yourself short, JJ. You're just as good as everyone else on this team, possibly better."

She tried to protest, but he cut her off.

"No, listen to me. _You're_ the one that has to pick and choose our cases, which means that you have to be able to assess and profile _better_ than we do…and I think we forget about that most of the time."

His grip loosened slightly, and she gave him a slight smile.

"Does this mean I've put you out of a job?"

He chuckled, a low sound that silently thrilled her. He needed to laugh more, it suited him.

"Not yet," he said, a grin stretched across his lips.

Yes, happy looked good on him. He needed to smile more, too. She felt something warm inside of chest at the sight, but quickly brushed the feeling aside. It was an aberration, nothing more. With that, he dropped one hand and gently squeezed her shoulder with the other.

"Wheels up in an hour," was all he said as he left, but his eyes told her volumes.

* * *

><p>JJ sat in her corner of the jet and watched as Reid and Prentiss played chess. Surprisingly enough, they were pretty well matched.<p>

She watched in amusement as Reid tried to figure out what Emily was doing with her bishop while Emily grinned enigmatically, and then he made a move. She smiled to herself, and then glanced further down to see Morgan and Rossi sitting across from each other, debating whether chicken was better deep-fried or properly sautéed in a pan.

A small laugh escaped her at their conversation. Those two were about as opposite as you could get, and yet…they were friends.

And of course, there was Hotch. Agent Aaron Hotchner, the definition of enigma.

She watched him carefully as he pored through the file of what was going to be their next case, obviously distracted.

JJ took the moment to try and profile him, to see if she could actually do what he claimed she could do. He was a workaholic, that was obvious to anyone who had eyes, but it wasn't just work to him…she knew that he gained satisfaction each time they solved a case, each time they put a killer behind bars.

He was a dedicated father, just as she was a dedicated mother, and he never put himself first…

That thought ricocheted around in her head for a moment, and she came to a startling conclusion.

Had he ever been truly appreciated for what he did? When was the last time someone had ever told him "good job" after a case was closed, or after he had risked his life for the team? Was there anyone in his life who ever put Aaron Hotchner first?

JJ felt her throat tighten and moisture threaten at the corners of her eyes, but she swallowed it down and made herself a solemn promise.

_She_ would be the one to do that. They were friends, and he deserved to be put first.

A slightly sad smiled crossed her lips, and she glanced away only to look right back, her gaze lingering on him for a long while.

Everyone else on the plane was absorbed in their own little world, and she felt privileged to be able to take the time to observe a man that she'd looked up to ever since the first day she had met him. He probably had no idea as to how many times she had thought of thanking him…

…But the words had never crossed her lips.

JJ dropped in her eyes in shame.

She should have told him.

Quickly, she distracted herself by pulling out their next case and looking over the file, but her thoughts soon turned back to her stoic leader as she realized that he, too, was looking over the same exact case at that very same moment.

She lifted her eyes for a brief moment, and then felt someone watching her.

She looked around and then saw Hotch's eyes catch hers, slight concern in his gaze. _'Are you alright?'_ he mouthed to her, and she simply nodded and gave him a small smile.

She was fine...

…for now.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 12?**


	13. Part XIII

**Part XIII**

JJ walked into Garcia's office, a faint grin on her lips. On the flight back to Washington, she had managed to sort through some ideas as to how to let her boss know that he was appreciated, and she thought that their quirky tech-analyst just might be the perfect person to talk to about it.

She knocked lightly on the door as she entered.

"Garcia? You in here?"

Brightly colored hair along with orange and purple leaf-printed clothes entered her line of vision, and JJ grinned at what she saw. There Garcia sat, looking totally serious, her eyes glued to her computer monitors…where she was playing Tetris.

"Penelope…" she said in a sing-song tone.

The tech's head snapped up. "JJ! My most wonderful and perfect media mogul liaison! How are you?"

She bolted up from her chair, leaving her game and wrapping her arms tightly around her friends. JJ returned it as best as she could, having her arms being squeezed around her body.

"Not bad," she gasped out. "But would you mind letting me have my oxygen back?"

Garcia quickly pulled back. "Sorry!"

And then, after giving JJ an odd look that seemed as though she had just realized something, she quickly sat back down and began to type away, leaving JJ confused as to her friend's mercurial attitude. One minute a bone-crushing hug, the next complete and total indifference to her presence in her office.

She stood there in surprise, trying to understand what had just happened, and then walked over to where Garcia was now typing furiously.

"Garcia? Are you okay?"

The vibrant young woman nodded, and then quickly explained her aberrant behavior.

"Yes…yes, I'm fine JJ. It's just," she partially turned in her chair and gave her friend an apologetic look. "When you walked in, it reminded me that I haven't given my own report to Hotch, yet, and he will _kill_ me if I send it to him late one more time…hence the jazz hands."

She then turned back towards her computers and started typing once more while JJ continued to look at her, even more confused than before.

"Uhh…Garcia, why would I walking in here remind you to give something to Hotch?"

At that question, she watched in careful observation as Garcia's expression turned from one of keen focus to one of surprise. It was interesting to see the change come over the tech analyst's face, and JJ waited for her to respond.

"I…I don't know…"

Her fingers paused in their vigorous typing as she thought it over, and then she began to slowly explain as the answer came to her.

"I, I guess it's because whenever I see you, Hotch usually shows up within a minute or so, if he's not already there…you know, you two are always just, you know, together, like a package deal…"

Garcia looked up at JJ and smiled. "You know, like a two for one thing?"

JJ just nodded her head, pretending that she knew what Garcia was talking about, but in her mind she found herself carefully analyzing her interactions with the man and if what Garcia said was true…that didn't happen all the time, did it?

Garcia then said…

"I mean, it makes sense…you two have known each other the longest out of anyone on the team. You're like…life-long friends. Best buds."

As soon as her friend said that, JJ felt the words hit her as squarely as an actual punch to the stomach.

She was right…they _had_ been friends the longest. In fact, out of everyone on the team besides Rossi, she was probably the only person that he would even _consider_ a friend. JJ placed a steadying hand on the back of Garcia's chair, praying that her knees didn't give out beneath her.

Why was figuring out that Hotch was her best friend hitting her so hard?

How had she not noticed?

Garcia, completely unaware of the effect her words had had on the media liaison, spoke up once more.

"I mean, JJ…you're probably the one person he has the most in common with, you know? Dedicated single parents, workaholics, married to your work…" She looked up at JJ and grinned. "Of course you guys are friends, why wouldn't you be?"

JJ just gave her a small smile and started to walk out of the room, but then Garcia said…

"In fact, the two of you should get the boys together some time…take them to the park, or something. I bet Henry and Jack would love that!"

With those last words, JJ quickly fled from the room and walked briskly down the hall down to her office, but found her footsteps slowing significantly as she passed by Hotch's office.

Garcia's innocent idea had suddenly flourished a thought into her mind.

Maybe…maybe the two of them taking the boys to the park this weekend wasn't a bad idea. In fact, it could work to her advantage. This could be the perfect chance that she had been waiting for in order to be the friend that Hotch needed.

* * *

><p>JJ lightly knocked on his partially open door and slowly pushed it open.<p>

"Hey, Hotch…?"

He looked up from his desk and for some reason she felt her heart pause a moment before going back into its' regular rhythm… Huh, that was odd.

Hotch locked eyes with her and gave her an inquisitive look.

"Yes, JJ? Did you need something?"

She shook her head and then mentally slapped herself. _Great, talk about mixed signals, JJ. He asks if you need something, you shake your head no, and now you're going to ask him to do something for you? No wonder your personal life's nonexistent…_

"Actually…" she amended quickly, "Yeah. I kinda do…"

He motioned for her to sit down, so she carefully took the chair in front of his desk, trying to control her outward tension.

She leaned back in the chair, and he did the same in his, unconsciously mirroring her position.

"So…?" Hotch said, drawing out the vowel, giving her a look with one raised eyebrow. He was obviously waiting for her to ask, so she dove right in.

"Well, I was thinking…how about the two of us…" She faltered a moment at saying that particular phrase, and then pushed forward. "Take Henry and Jack to the park this weekend? I know that Henry would love someone new to play with, and that Jack would probably enjoy it…"

She let herself fade out, her expression one of extreme hesitation.

He gave her a surprised look, but then, after a brief moment, a small smile twitched at the corner of his lips.

"That actually sounds like a good idea…" He then tilted his head and gave her an inquiring look. "Saturday morning, ten o' clock…East Potomac Park?"

JJ could barely believe what she was hearing, and a wide grin crossed her face.

"Sounds like a plan."

And with that, her plan was set in motion.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 13?**


	14. Part XIV

**Part XIV**

She watched and smiled as Jack and Henry ran across the grass, Henry's little arm outstretched as he tried to catch the young Hotchner boy.

JJ still couldn't believe that Hotch had said yes…actually, she was still surprised at the fact that she'd plucked up the courage to even suggest the outing. But boy was she glad that she had. She glanced over at her boss, who was now the most relaxed that she'd ever seen him.

Hotch was wearing black jeans, a gray t-shirt that said "Georgetown" across the front, some old hiking boots, and a black leather jacket, all of which seemed to be worn out favorites of his.

She found herself smiling almost non-stop, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face.

A relaxed Hotch was most definitely something that she could get used to.

He turned his head and watched the two boys as well, and JJ watched in absolute fascination as a broad grin crossed his lips. Good lord, that man really needed to smile more…but if he did that at work, he just might be giving too many thoughts to other women in the BAU.

And, for some odd reason, that bothered her.

She shrugged it off and sat down on the bench that was directly across from where the boys were playing, and was suddenly painfully aware of how close Hotch was when he sat down next to her, his right thigh brushing against her left one as he shifted on the bench.

He looked in her direction, still grinning, and, just like it had happened when she had first entered his office the day before, she felt her heart pause for a moment before picking back up again.

"Hey, JJ…" he said, nudging her knee with his own. "This was a good idea."

She gave a shy smile, suddenly extremely self-conscious, but without any idea as to why.

"Well," she said slowly, trying to find a way to steer the conversation in a direction that she could work with. "You should really thank Garcia. It was her idea in the first place."

He gave her a look, an eyebrow raised.

"Really?" JJ nodded, and he grinned, yet again. "Then remind me to thank her."

They exchanged smiles once more, and then, almost in unison, turned their attention back to their boys, who had moved on to an attempted game of leap-frog, which seemed to involve more crawling than leaping.

JJ stifled a laugh at the amusing sight, and Hotch turned his head to look at her once more.

In a completely unguarded moment, as though he wasn't even thinking about what he saying, he said, "You have a nice laugh, JJ…you should laugh more."

At his complete un-Hotch-like comment, she blushed furiously and tried to keep all of her attention on their two sons.

A silence stretched between them, but it wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable. In fact, it was almost pleasant, the two of them simply sitting quietly and enjoying the moment. It was a gorgeous late-summer day, and the temperature was just right.

She leaned back against the bench, letting herself sink into the moment, holding it for as long as she could.

Now _this_ was nice.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Hotch leaned back as well, and then she felt his shoulder against her own.

The position was intimate, even though there wasn't any eye contact, or even any skin touching. Shoulder to shoulder, thigh brushing thigh, knee against knee…her whole body on her left side felt as though it were tingling.

JJ briefly wondered if Hotch felt the same thing, and then dismissed it. No, of course he didn't. Why would he?

She pushed it as far to the back of her mind as was possible and focused all of her energies, instead, on watching Henry and Jack.

Henry seemed to be having a blast…and it made her happy.

She hadn't seen him smile this much in quite a long time. In fact, the last time she'd seen him this happy was probably when she'd taken him to the park near her apartment and he'd had the chance to go on a twisty slide, something that he'd never done before.

A soft smile stole across her lips, and, completely unaware of it, Hotch stared at her, wondering about the smile at the corner of her mouth.

Though it was strange to realize, he found himself completely comfortable with her…

With any other member of his team, in a non-working capacity, he would probably find himself awkwardly trying to find words to fill the silence, but with her, he was able to simply be himself. JJ was one of the few people he'd ever been able to simply just sit with and not feel the need to fill the empty air with words.

Both of them were of the mind that if you had something to say, you would say it when you were ready, and not before.

Therefore, they were able to simply sit and enjoy the other's company without having to say a word.

Jack suddenly came running over to where the two of them sat and practically leaped onto his dad's lap, causing the older Hotchner to let out a grunt of surprise at the sudden weight on his lap. She watched with a smile as Hotch wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and as Jack's arm slid around his dad's neck.

"Whoa, buddy! What's got you so excited?"

Jack started to talk, but he kept on stumbling over his words until Hotch told him to take a breath and then tell him what he was trying to say.

Finally, Jack spoke his thoughts clearly. "Well, I thought Henry and his mommy could come over and watch movies with us on Sunday, like we always do on Sunday night…" His brown eyes were pleading, and reminded JJ so much of his father's. "Please, daddy?"

Hotch looked at his son in surprise and then glanced over at JJ, who now had her arms full of Henry, who had followed Jack over to the bench.

"Uh, buddy, we should probably make sure that it's okay with Henry's mommy, first, okay?"

Jack nodded and then looked over at JJ expectantly, while Hotch shot her an apologetic look for his son's forward behavior. He got that from his mom, and not from him.

JJ gave him a half-smile, surprised that he hadn't protested it almost immediately, but of course, who was he to deny his son? She had seen them interact before, and she knew for a fact that Jack Hotchner had his father completely wrapped around his finger. There wasn't anything that that man wouldn't do for his son.

She pretended to think it over, even though she had immediately said yes in her head, and then she said…

"We'd love to, Jack."

She cast a quick glance towards Hotch and felt her skin warm slightly at the soft smile she found on his face.

Quickly, she regained her senses and stood up, keeping Henry on her hip, who was slowly drifting towards sleep, his head weighing heavily on her shoulder. He had worn himself out.

"I…I guess I should be going," she said tearing her eyes away from her boss. "See you Sunday, then?"

Hotch nodded.

"Sunday, five o' clock too early? It would include a free meal…"

She gave him a brief nod in return, not trusting her vocal chords, and headed back to her car, the entire time her mind reeling.

She would be spending time with her boss outside of work twice in one weekend…who would have guessed?

JJ shook her head slightly as she put Henry into his car seat and firmly buckled him into place. If Garcia found out about this, she would have a field day. With that in mind, she decided to keep the events of the weekend to herself, not wanting her and her boss to be gossip fodder for the Bureau.

As the blonde media-liaison slid behind the wheel, a thought suddenly hit her…

What was she going to wear?

* * *

><p><strong>Part 14?**


	15. Part XV

**Part XV**

JJ straightened her shirt for what felt like the millionth time. At first, she thought she would wear a dress, but then realized that two little boys were also going to be involved in the meal, so a dress was a definite no-go.

A simple dark green shirt and a pair of dark jeans were easy enough, but not too overly casual when paired with her nice boots and her silver scarf.

She had bundled Henry into a small, dark blue sweater, one that wouldn't show stains easily, and jeans.

After securing him into the car and sitting behind the wheel, she felt her breath catch for a brief moment…she was actually doing this.

Taking a deep breath, she drove over to Hotch's house, and quickly parked.

Jack was the one to answer the door, and he seemed overly excited by the fact that they were there. He asked JJ if he could and then took Henry to the other room to show him all of his toys. That was when she heard the sounds coming from the kitchen.

She wandered down the hall, somewhat hesitant, since she'd only been to his house on one other occasion, and was pleased with herself when she managed find it without incident.

And the sight that greeted her…well, then.

There stood Aaron Hotchner in a forest green dress shirt and the same black jeans as the day before, casually stirring a pot on the stove.

She took a deep inhale, and smiled as she caught the scent…

"Macaroni and cheese?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

He whirled around, obviously not having heard her walk into the room, and the look of surprise quickly turned to a slightly adorable, deprecating smile.

He shrugged and then tilted his head back towards the pot on the stove.

"It was the one thing that I could think of that the boys would eat without complaint…and something that _we _could still enjoy. And it's Italian…" he said, grinning, showing a humorous side to him that JJ had always suspected was there, but had never had proof of.

Now she did.

She glanced at his clothes one more time and a small laugh escaped her as she came to a realization…the two of them matched.

Hotch looked up at the sound of her laugh and gave her an inquiring look. "What's so funny?"

JJ simply gestured to him and then to herself, but couldn't find any words to say as she was trying too hard to keep from laughing at the absurdity of it all. What were the chances that they would be wearing the same thing?

Hotch looked at what she gestured to, and a grin broke free. "How about that?" was all he said as he then turned back to the stove.

JJ grinned as Hotch threw a towel over his shoulder and stole a small bite from the pot. It was so…so domestic, so un-Hotch…but it suited him. Who knew that Hotch was such a homemaker?

She motioned towards the plates that she saw sitting on the counter. "Want me to take care of that?"

He shook his head in the negative.

"No," he said firmly, giving her a look that she had seen many a time at work and in the field. "I am the host, you are the guest…that means, you let the host do his job and, well, uh…host," he finished somewhat awkwardly, but she simply smiled at his small blunder and he gave a slight grin back.

"Sorry, I'm new to this. This kind of thing was always Haley's job," he said casually as he turned back to the stove.

JJ was surprised by how easily Hotch said his deceased wife's name, but at the same time was silently pleased that he was comfortable enough with her that he felt he could mention her without getting one of those pitying looks that so many other members of the team did.

And she was also pleased to note that there seemed to be no hint of any sadness in his tone…apparently, he had moved on.

Good for him.

She settled herself at the island in the kitchen, sitting on one of the stools and watching Hotch work in the kitchen.

Suddenly, in a rain of yelling and happy squeals, the boys ran into the dining area just beyond where JJ sat, and she grinned as she watched Henry wave his hands in the air as he rushed by and ran into the other room, Jack following right behind.

Hotch had turned around at the noise and was about to tell them to settle down a bit, but something in his chest tightened at the sight of their two boys playing together in his home, acting as though they were the best of friends. Along with JJ sitting at the counter looking completely at ease in his kitchen, he realized that to any observer outside of the situation, they seemed like a family.

He quickly shook the idea out of his head and turned back to the stove, pouring the contents of the pan onto four different plates, balancing two on each arm, and headed to the table.

He walked into the dining room, ignoring JJ's offers of help and placed the plates onto the table, grabbing some forks from his back pocket that he had quickly put there before he had picked up the plates, and he heard her say under her breath…

"Men…!"

He smiled, and then relented. "Fine, you want to help? Put napkins on."

With that, he tossed the napkins in her direction, still attempting to ignore the feeling of pleasant domesticity that filled his usually quiet home.

"Oh, right," JJ said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Because napkins are _so_ much work."

He rolled his eyes, and then said…

"Boys! Time for dinner…don't forget to wash your hands!"

JJ smiled to herself as she heard the sounds of running water and she turned and looked over at Hotch. Their eyes caught, and suddenly they were both frozen for a moment as they recognized the same emotion in the other person's eyes.

The moment was gone, however, as Henry and Jack came barreling into the dining room.

Jack immediately sat down on one side, and then JJ helped Henry sit down on the other, leaving her and Hotch to take the places on either end of the table.

They say down, and then Hotch said and did something that she never would have expected…but was pleasantly surprised to see.

He put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together, and JJ watched as Jack did the same. Hotch then looked at his son, an inquiring look on his face. "Do you want to say it, tonight, buddy? Or should I?"

Jack shrugged, but then he looked over at JJ.

"Daddy…can Henry's mommy say it? Please?"

Hotch gave the blonde woman an apologetic look, something that he was doing a lot of recently, obviously not sure of what he was going to do with his precocious and outgoing son. If Jack kept on doing this, Hotch would probably never be rid of either her or Henry…and, for some reason, that idea didn't bother him.

He then turned his attention back to his son. "I don't know, buddy. How about you ask her?"

_Chicken_, JJ thought in her mind, but she turned her focus to Jack as he said, "Please, miss JJ? We _always_ say the prayers…now you can, too!"

She let out a small laugh at the boys enthusiasm and then smiled.

"I'd love to, Jack."

She mimicked their position and then started. "Dear Lord, we thank you for this food and for the company we are in. Please bless it to nourish our bodies, and please watch over us this evening that we will have an enjoyable and relaxing time. In Jesus' name, Amen."

She then heard three amens echoed in response, and as she lifted her eyes, she saw Hotch giving her a gentle look.

_Thank you_, he mouthed to her, and she felt her face flush.

JJ simply shrugged, silently telling him that it was nothing and he smiled, and then turned his attention to the boys.

"Alright, who's hungry?"

With that, they all began to eat, and both JJ and Hotch had the same thought on their minds… _I could get used to this._

* * *

><p><strong>Part 15?**


	16. Part XVI

**Part XVI**

The boys were passed out on the couch between JJ and Hotch, and she shared a look over their prone bodies with Hotch. Both of them had taken off their shoes at different points during the movies, and JJ had been surprised at the fact that just having their shoes off seemed intimate to her.

They'd gotten all the way through _The Rescuers Down Under_ when Henry had started to drift, and then about halfway through _The Swan Princess_ Henry was out and then Jack had soon followed.

Hotch gave her a small smile and then reached an arm under Jack and lifted the boy into his arms.

JJ felt her chest tighten at the sight of the little boy unconsciously burrowing his head into his father's shoulder. Unnoticed by him, JJ watched as her usually stoic boss carefully carried his son down the hallway to Jack's bedroom.

At work, he was a leader, a soldier, a man of action.

But at home…this was a side to him that she admired even more. His compassion, his easy smile, his role as a father and friend…

Who wouldn't want to get to know this side of him?

She pulled her eyes away as he disappeared into Jack's room, and instead turned her focus to her own son. She ran a hand through his golden curls and smiled. _My little angel,_ she thought to herself as she slowly pulled the little boy into her arms.

He, too, did the same unconscious action as the other boy, and pushed his head into her shoulder, and she sighed, thinking about how he'd come to be.

Will was the father by biology alone, and in no other way…but that was something that she was perfectly fine with.

It was interesting, though, to realize that he had very few physical characteristics of his dad. The only thing that she'd ever recognized as being the same were the ears and chin…everything else came from her; blonde hair, odd nose…his perfect little eyes.

But then, his eyes weren't blue like either hers or Wills…instead, they were brown.

Apparently, Will's father had had brown eyes, and so had JJ's mother.

Actually, Henry's blonde hair and brown eyes could almost make him look like a son of her and…no, she wouldn't go there. Not here, not now.

Instead, JJ just sat there for a moment, realizing that they were going to have to go home soon.

Hotch had walked into the room just as JJ had pulled the boy into her arms and he stood there and watched, observing the interactions between the blonde woman and her beautiful son. It was obvious to him that she was a dedicated mother and fiercely protective of her boy, much as he was with Jack.

He then moved the rest of the way into the room and a small smile escaped his lips as he saw JJ try to stifle a yawn, but unsuccessfully.

"Hey…" he said, and her eyes snapped up at the sound of his voice.

"Hey, yourself," she said quietly, not wanting to wake Henry. "So, Jack's down for the count, huh?"

Hotch nodded and motioned his head towards the little boy in her arms.

"I take it he is, too?"

JJ nodded and shifted him slightly in her arms. "Yeah, and I've still got to get him home."

Immediately after she said this, she attempted to stifle yet _another_ yawn, and Hotch, even without using his profiling skills, could tell that she was exhausted. It was probably taking a good deal of effort for her to keep her eyes open, so he then said something that he'd never expected to say…

"Nonsense, JJ. It's obvious you're exhausted. Stay the night, you two can go home in the morning and I'm sure your boss will let you come in late."

As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them realized what he had said and JJ's eyes widened slightly while Hotch found a newfound interest in the floor and his socks.

She took a breath and thought about it logically, and realized that he was actually right.

He lifted his eyes, finally, and was shocked to see her nodding her head in agreement at his proposal. He had wanted to take the offer back as soon as he'd given it, certain that it would cause her to push away and make things awkward, but now felt relieved.

"You're right," she said, slowly standing and shifting Henry on her hip. "We can stay here…you have a guest room, right?"

Hotch shook his head, but then quickly explained.

"Jack has a trundle bed, and I can take the couch…"

At this she began to protest, but he quickly cut her off. "JJ, I've slept on it plenty of times…don't worry, you're not putting me out."

She fell silent, and he simply took that as a yes. He motioned for her to follow him and led them down the hall to Jack's room, where he carefully and quietly pulled out the small bed tucked underneath his son's, and watched as JJ gently placed Henry under the covers and placed a soft kiss on his head.

He then showed JJ to his bedroom and consciously stayed out of the room, understanding that the situation was awkward enough.

"Uhm, second drawer down on the right, couple of shirts I never wear, you can use one to sleep in if you need to…"

His voice drifted and he turned to go.

"Hotch…"

He moved his head slightly, but couldn't catch her eye for fear of what might happen if he saw her standing in his bedroom door with the same look that he could hear in her tone…pleading.

"Thank you."

He nodded and quickly walked down the hallway, back to the living room, not even bothering to grab a change of clothes from his bedroom. Standing alone in his bedroom with JJ in it as well…no, that was most _definitely_ not a good idea.

He practically threw himself down on the couch cushions in frustration, but managed to hold back on the urge to hit something.

As he tried to sleep, he deliberately tried to ignore the fact that she would be sleeping in his room tonight, wearing one of his shirts…

…yes, that was the furthest thing from his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 16?**


	17. Part XVII

**Part XVII**

JJ tossed and turned under the covers of Aaron Hotchner's bed.

Her mind was a tangled mess and she couldn't seem to get it to shut up long enough for her to fall asleep.

She tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, and then tried to remember one of Reid's lectures to make her mind tired, but nothing was working. The entire time she was still achingly aware of the fact that she was sleeping in Hotch's bed.

She had seriously debated about what he had told her, and had nearly used one of his shirts…but instead had opted for her underwear, until it had become too uncomfortable.

Now, she had nothing on while lying under his sheets.

A _very_ dangerous position should Hotch suddenly decide that he wanted his bed back.

Finally, realizing that it was _too_ precarious a position to be in, she grabbed the afghan off the end of the bed and wrapped it around herself and walked over to his dresser. Okay, which drawer had he said? She wracked her brain…that's right. Second drawer down on the right.

She leaned over and pulled it open, only to be confronted with something that she hadn't expected.

Yes, there were several shirts in there that she never expected to see him wear…but there was one in there that she'd seen him only a day before.

JJ pulled out the gray Georgetown t-shirt and deeply inhaled; yes, it still smelled like him.

Suddenly, she realized what she was doing and mentally chastised herself for acting as creepy and as weird as some of the unsubs that they went after on a regular basis. What was she doing? Smelling his t-shirt while standing in his bedroom covered in only a blanket?

Quickly, she shed the blanket and, without even thinking about it, threw the shirt on over her bare skin.

It hung down to her knees and she was slightly surprised.

She had never thought of Hotch as being so…broad. But the way the shoulder seams hit nearly to her elbows told her a different story.

She sighed and headed back towards the bed, when she suddenly heard her phone buzzing in her jeans pocket, which was lying in a heap somewhere on the floor of the bedroom, along with her shirt. She dropped to her knees and fumbled around in the dark for a moment, trying to find it, and had just wrapped her hand around it, when light suddenly spilled across the floor from the hallway.

JJ looked up to see Hotch silhouetted in the frame of the doorway, backlit by the hallway light…and shirtless.

She felt her breath catch in her throat, but managed to quickly react.

She lifted her phone from the floor and quickly stood, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, Hotch…my phone went off and I was just-"

He cut her off, his tone grave.

"I know, JJ. I got a call, too. We have to head in."

Hotch knew his tone was a bit harsh, but he was trying to stave off the reaction that he'd had when he'd opened the door. He had expected to see a sleeping JJ, her blonde hair strewn across his pillows as if…no, don't go there.

Instead, the sight that had greeted him had been much more than he had anticipated…

A blonde woman facing away from him, kneeling on all fours on the floor, the shirt she was wearing just barely covering much more alluring aspects of her form.

However, when she had turned around and stood up from her previous position, he'd seen the shirt…and he had done a double take, not quite believing what he was seeing.

JJ was wearing the shirt that he had worn just the other day on their outing to the park…and it looked good on her. _Too_ good. He averted his eyes as quickly as possible, looking to the floor, and then motioned down the hallway with one hand, vaguely aware that he was still shirtless as he spoke.

"I can call Jessica and have her watch both of our boys until we can get back…is that okay?"

JJ nodded, knowing that he was talking about his ex-sister-in-law, and then the both of them seemed to become aware of their state of undress at the same time.

"I'll just pull on some pants-"

"I just need to grab a shirt-"

They spoke at the same time and shared a sheepish look. He then averted his eyes once more and motioned towards where her clothes were strewn on the floor, a small part of the back of his mind noticing black lace in the pile…and then the information registered. She wasn't wearing a single thing under that shirt.

Part of his mind suddenly shut down, and he quickly removed himself from the situation by saying,

"I'll let you get dressed…I have a shirt out here."

She stopped him. "Wait, you need some pants…" She then realized how awkward that sounded, but he simply nodded and said, "Top left drawer."

Quickly, she grabbed the first pair her fingers touched and handed them to him, and he quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Her heart suddenly racing as though she had just run several miles, she went over to the bedside table and turned on the lamp, giving her enough light to pull on her clothes. She quickly pulled her panties up her legs and slid her bra into place under the shirt.

After she hiked up her jeans and zipped them, she began to reach for her shirt…and then saw what had happened to it.

In her haste of grabbing it up off the floor, she had accidentally popped two of the buttons.

Great. Just great.

She stood there, wondering what to do…and then realized that she had no choice.

JJ quickly undid the button on her pants and partially tucked in the Georgetown t-shirt into her jeans, and then re-fastened the snap. She turned towards the mirror on the back of Hotch's door that led to his bathroom and grabbed an elastic from her purse and pulled back her hair into a hasty ponytail.

She briefly noted that her makeup was slightly mussed and worried for a moment, but then realized that no one would be paying attention at that time in the morning.

JJ walked over to the edge of the bed and looked for her boots…and then she remembered.

They were on the floor in the living room.

With a sigh, she picked up her purse and ruined shirt and grabbed her jacket from off the floor as well, throwing it over the t-shirt and fastening it tightly.

No need for Hotch to know her predicament. She shoved her green shirt into her purse in a tight wad, and then walked out of the room.

She arrived in the living room to suddenly see that the Aaron Hotchner that she'd come to know last night was completely gone. In his place was Agent Hotchner, Special Supervisory Agent for the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

She realized that something must be seriously wrong, so she quickly grabbed her boots from off the floor and slid them on, following his lead as he walked to Jack's room to wake his young son to take him to Jessica's.

JJ managed to move Henry without waking him up, and for that she was grateful, but she knew that she had to tell him.

So, she gently woke him and told him he'd be staying with Jack and a nice lady for a little while and he simply nodded his head and said, "Okay, mommy," and then drifted back to sleep.

Once the boys were dropped off, they headed off to Quantico.

As soon as the two of them stepped off the elevator together, she saw Prentiss's eyes light up in curiosity, but JJ just put up a staying hand, silently telling her friend that now was _not_ the time, and the dark haired agent relented, instead heading to the conference room.

Once everyone was in the room, Prentiss spoke, surprising everyone with what she had to say.

"Tonight, I got a call from Elaine Wright…"

JJ looked up in surprise. Why had Elaine called Prentiss?

Emily explained. "I gave her my number in case she ever wanted to talk…and when she called tonight, I learned some very disturbing news…"

She picked up the case file that she had put down on the table when she had walked in.

"…She said that she'd overheard her husband talking to himself when he came home from work today...and she thinks that _he's_ the one who actually killed those five women; _not_ Beaux Addrove."

JJ caught Hotch's eye at this statement.

If that was the case, then they had put an innocent man behind bars…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 17?**


	18. Part XVIII

**Part XVIII**

JJ sat across from Hotch on the plane, looking once more at the case file of the five women that were killed.

If Jason Wright really _was_ the murderer, then Elaine was the one victim he hadn't yet claimed…but how was it possible?

Suddenly, Reid spoke up, the wheels in his head almost audibly clicking as he spoke.

"Actually…our profile isn't entirely wrong. The two men are extremely similar in certain ways, the only real difference being is that Jason Wright has both the intelligence and the skill to do these acts completely undetected."

Rossi nodded, agreeing, and then added, "And it wouldn't counter anything we already know. The only reason why Beaux was put into prison was for his confession and connection to Elaine…there was no actual _physical_ evidence tying him to the killings. Even though he claimed to have used chloroform, there would be no way to prove it as chloroform is processed by the body within hours and we only found the bodies days later."

Prentiss gave Rossi a long look and then voiced her own thoughts aloud.

"True…and for all we know, maybe he _knew_ that Jason was the perpetrator and was simply trying to protect Elaine from the _real_ killer…her husband."

Hotch stayed quiet throughout, listening to each member of the team as they re-analyzed the case from a new perspective. He then noticed that Morgan was rather quiet, so he nodded his head in the young profiler's direction.

"Morgan, what do you think?"

His head snapped up, catching eyes with Hotch and the rest of the team.

He was careful as he spoke, as though wary of his words.

"Honestly, Hotch, I don't want to make any judgments until I know _exactly_ what it was that Elaine heard and saw. Until I know that, he's innocent until proven guilty, same as Addrove."

"Addrove only _pleaded_ guilty," Reid clarified. "It was never actually _proven_."

Everyone seemed to sober at that comment, and they all fell silent, turning once more to the case file in front of them…until, surprisingly, JJ spoke up.

"Well, we got Beaux Addrove because he linked all of our victims together, remember? He moved furniture for each of them," she pointed out. "So, in order to find out if Wright is the killer, we have to find a common connection between him and all of the victims…something _besides_ the fact that they all look like his wife."

At this, everyone nodded in agreement, realizing that JJ was right, and turned back to their case files with stronger conviction.

* * *

><p>As they arrived once more in the Ogunquit, Maine precinct, JJ sighed.<p>

What they had thought to be an open and shut case turned out to be so much more than that…she should have realized. It had been too easy, before. Beaux hadn't even tried to hide the fact that he had Elaine, and he hadn't even put up a fight when they'd brought him in.

He had simply said that he was guilty…but why would he say that? What was he afraid of? Or, more importantly, _who_ was he afraid of?

JJ walked into the conference room that she'd been in only two and a half days before and slid off her jacket, not noticing Prentiss's gasp at what she was wearing underneath.

Hotch, Reid, Rossi and Morgan were all still in the main room of the precinct, so Prentiss quickly closed the door and confronted JJ.

"Jayje, are you wearing Hotch's shirt?"

Her voice was filled with barely contained glee at the prospect, and her eyes were dancing.

The blonde media liaison looked at her friend in shock. How the hell did Prentiss recognize this shirt? When had Hotch ever been that casual around Prentiss? She quickly glanced around the room, realized that they were alone, and then quickly retaliated.

"How did you know?" she hissed in a low tone, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.

Prentiss gave her a smug grin. "I didn't..."

JJ felt like slapping herself for falling into that trap. This was a profiler she was talking to, not just any friend. She was about to speak, but then the door opened and the rest of the team walked in…luckily, no one else seemed to notice JJ's odd choice of wardrobe.

She grinned at her luck. Of course they didn't…it didn't matter if they were profilers, they were still guys.

She shot her friend a look that said, _too bad_, and then grabbed her go-bag and walked to the bathroom, quickly changing her shirt.

Luckily, she'd had a go-bag at Quantico, so she'd grabbed it before getting on the plane, but hadn't had a chance to change her clothes until now.

The jet was nice, sure, but it was still a jet and it's bathroom had very little space for much else than going to the bathroom. She most likely would have injured herself trying to change in that infinitesimally small space than actually successfully change clothes.

JJ slipped on a plain white t-shirt and walked back out into the precinct, heading straight for the conference room.

However, she was suddenly halted by a hand on her arm and she turned to see Elaine Wright standing right behind her.

"Elaine…we were just reviewing the case," she started, but the young woman cut her off.

"I know you were…but I figured you needed to know everything I know in order to get anything new out of the case."

JJ nodded and motioned for her to follow her to one of the interview rooms. As she passed by the conference room, she glanced through the window and exchanged a look with Hotch, motioning towards the woman in front of her and then pointed towards the room across the precinct.

Hotch nodded his approval, and she proceeded.

* * *

><p>She sat Elaine down at the small table and then sat across from her.<p>

JJ carefully started. "Okay…I know that you told Agent Prentiss about what happened, but I need to hear it, too…word for word, every detail you can remember, alright?"

The woman nodded and then took a deep breath before beginning.

"It was four-thirty and I was playing on the piano like I always do at that time of day. I've started learning a new piece called, uh, _The Heart Asks Pleasure First_…I was about halfway through and had gone to the coda when I heard him walk in…"

She paused, remembering, and then continued. "He came in, just like he always does, and he walked to the back and put his things in the kitchen…but he didn't come into the room. I waited a moment, thinking maybe he was putting a couple of things away, but he took too long…

…So, I got up from the piano and walked to the doors that led to the hallway that he always comes in through, and I saw him there, pacing. He was walking back and forth in front of the doors looking upset and agitated, and then I heard him muttering under his breath. I didn't want to upset him, so I just stood there and tried to hear what he was saying, thinking that if I knew what the problem was that I might be able to help him…"

Elaine paused yet again, and JJ could see the tears that were just beneath the surface that threatened to fall, so she gently grasped the woman's hand, silently encouraging her to continue.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to tell the rest of what she'd seen and heard.

"That was when I heard it. His voice…it had changed. And he was talking to himself in the second person...like he was someone else."

JJ furrowed her brow, trying to understand what Elaine meant by the statement that Jason's voice had changed. Elaine quickly picked up on the agent's confusion and explained.

"Jason's voice, when it changed…he sounded normal, you know? Like an American, _not_ British."

JJ nodded, understanding what she meant, and then motioned for her to continue in her description of what had happened.

"I only caught some of the words…I can remember, exactly, what they were. When he was himself he said, 'I don't like this, lying to her, we have to tell her. We have to tell her the truth, about what we did.', and then when his voice changed, he said, 'You mean what _I _did, right? That's my problem, not yours. Beaux deserved what came to him, the girls were just collateral.'"

She looked up at JJ, and that was when she could see the fear in the young wife's eyes, and JJ's heart reached out to her.

JJ gently squeezed the hand that she held, trying to reassure her, and a faint, watery smile appeared on Elaine's face…but then the tears began to fall.

"I…I don't know my own husband anymore. Do you have any idea what that's like? To think that you know the man you love only to have everything turn around just from a few words that you probably were never meant to hear?"

She then broke down, dropping her head to the table, her shoulders shaking with her muted sobs.

JJ didn't know what to do, so she simply stood and placed her hand on Elaine's shoulder, and then quietly exited the room.

As she walked back into the main precinct, Hotch came out of the conference room and walked over to her.

"How is she?"

JJ shrugged. "About what you'd expect of a woman who's just found out that her husband is probably a cold-blooded killer."

He simply nodded, and JJ watched as the rest of the team filed out of the conference room, each of them with what looked to be a new file in their hands. She cast a questioning look to her boss, who quickly explained.

"Garcia sent us everything that she could find on Jason Wright…and let's say it makes fairly interesting reading."

He gave her a pointed look and then handed her a copy of the case file as well, and she gave him a surprised look at his actions.

"What?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "You deserve to work this case as much as we do, JJ. See you in a few."

With that, he turned to walk out, obviously heading to go talk to Sheriff McKiernan, who was obviously waiting for him in his office, but was suddenly stopped by a man around thirty-eight who walked into the precinct and said…

"Where can I find Elaine Wright?"

Hotch took a long look at the man, wondering who he was, and then stepped forward. "Excuse me, who are you?"

There was something disturbingly familiar about the man, and both JJ and Hotch noticed it…but neither of them could figure out what it was. He was around five ten, had dark brown hair, a British accent…and extremely bright blue eyes.

Suddenly, JJ figured it out, but before she could say anything, the man reached his hand forward and shook Hotch's hand.

"James Wright…I'm Jason's brother."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 18?**


	19. Part XIX

**A.N. - James Wright is protrayed by actor James Marsters, also another favorite...if you want to see what he looks like, go to the link in my profile page and look at the background I made for this story. He's right there! Love to all my dedicated reviewers! Please keep reviewing!**

* * *

><p><strong>Part XIX<strong>

Hotch suddenly realized what he'd recognized: the eyes. The brothers shared the same eyes.

He barely registered that he was shaking the man's hand, but, realizing that he still had to talk to the sheriff, he referred him to over to JJ, realizing that she should be the one to escort him to his sister-in-law.

"Please, sir," JJ said, motioning him forward. "Follow me."

She lead him to the room where Elaine was still quietly crying, and then watched as her head snapped up at the sound of the two of them entering the room, the door squeaking slightly as JJ pushed it open.

Elaine's blurry eyes slowly came into focus. "James…? Is that you?"

He nodded, giving her a tight smile, his lips pressed firmly together, as though he, too, was also holding back a few tears.

"It's me, Laney."

JJ watched in surprise as she suddenly stood, knocking her chair over onto the floor, and rushed at the young man, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso, and then began to cry into his shoulder. James simply wrapped his arms around her shoulders and began to whisper into her hair.

"It's alright, Laney…we'll get things sorted out, I promise. Everything will be fine, everything will be alright…"

JJ felt as though she were an outsider witnessing a moment that was meant to be private. She moved to leave the room, but from over her shoulder, James Wright caught her eye and shook his head.

_No, not yet_, he mouthed to the blonde agent, and then slowly maneuvered Elaine out of his arms.

Keeping a hand on her shoulder, he walked over and picked the chair up from off the ground and put her back into it, and then stayed crouched on the ground, keeping her eyes locked with his as he spoke to both her and Agent Jareau.

"Okay…now you told them everything you know, right?" She nodded. "Okay…now it's my turn, so, I need you to just relax and _listen_. Don't say anything until I'm finished, alright?"

Elaine nodded again, and then her brother-in-law stood and faced JJ.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, his accent slightly different from his brother's, but still the same.

JJ carefully looked at him and was surprised that she hadn't noticed the resemblance between the two immediately.

Both of them were around the same height and build, had the same color hair and eyes, and shared distinctive facial characteristics. High cheekbones, slightly angular jawlines and noses…and they even moved in similar ways.

It was almost uncanny and made her slightly uncomfortable, as though she were standing in the same room as Jason, not James.

The man shifted on his feet for a moment and then finally began to speak.

"I…I heard about what was happening and caught the first flight that I could." He motioned his head towards Elaine, where she obediently sat. "Laney called me as soon as she suspected that something was wrong with Jason."

At this, JJ shot a look towards Elaine. Apparently she hadn't told her _every_thing that had happened.

James caught the look and rolled his neck in exasperation, rubbing his hand across the back of it and looked at his sister-in-law with a slightly grieved look. "You didn't tell them you'd called me, did you, Laney?"

Elaine ducked her head in embarrassment, unable to meet his disapproving eye, and then shook her head no.

He looked back at JJ, his look one of deep apology. "I'm sorry for that, Agent…?"

"Jareau. Jennifer Jareau."

He nodded yet again.

"Agent Jareau," he repeated. "Laney can be…forgetful at times, but she is one of my closest friends, as well as family." He then shot a look back to Elaine. "I'm going to talk to the agents alone, now, alright?"

Elaine nodded, and he walked out of the room, JJ following him closely.

Who was James Wright, and why did it seem that he knew much more than he was letting on?

As soon as they exited the room, Hotch exited McKiernan's office and strode across the floor to meet them.

"Agent Aaron Hotchner, pleased to meet you Agent Wright." He then proceeded to shake the man's hand with a firm grip and then handed him a case file, while JJ looked on in confusion at the words that she had just heard.

"Wait, what? Agent?"

She looked at Hotch for an explanation and he quickly gave it to her.

"I've just been told by Sheriff McKiernan that James Wright, brother of their Chief of Police, works for Interpol and is about to tell us something that we did not know but should have known the first moment that we got this case."

He then turned to the man in question, giving him his infamous look that had made many men break under the severity of it, and JJ was surprised to see that James Wright didn't even flinch underneath the look that was given to him, and instead stood his ground and said…

"My brother and I worked together in Interpol until we met Laney…Elaine. She was on tour in London, and we went to her concert. And then two months later he up and quit, deciding to leave the country and marry her."

At this, JJ gave Hotch a look.

Jason Wright was ex-Interpol…and they'd never known? How was that possible?

Hotch could see her unasked question in her eyes and quickly said, "Jason wasn't under investigation then, so we had no need to know his background…but he is now."

With that, he walked over to the conference room, JJ and James following close behind.

Things with this case had just gotten _very_ interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 19?**


	20. Part XX

**A.N. - I did a _lot_ of research for this chapter, though I already knew some of it...so, please! Read and review! This is my third chapter in one day...what more do I have to do to please you people?**

* * *

><p><strong>Part XX<strong>

All of the members of the team did a slight double take at seeing James Wright when he walked into the room.

Yes, it was truly unnerving how similar he was to his brother.

However, they all sat down as he walked to the front of the room, and explained the situation to them all. And, even though JJ hated to admit it, James Wright was almost as imposing a figure as Hotch was, and his tone and body language seemed to scream authority as he spoke, even though his voice was low and quiet.

"My brother, Jason Wright, was diagnosed with split personality disorder when he was sixteen years old. He had treatments starting when he was seventeen and was supposedly, cured of his disorder by the time he was twenty…"

He paused, taking the moment to look at each of the profilers, obviously trying to gauge their reactions.

"Up until now, I had thought he was fine…but then Laney, sorry, Elaine, called me and told me what she'd heard."

He then pulled out a file folder and pushed it across the table over to Agent Hotchner, and Hotch slowly opened it, taking a close look at the papers inside of it, making sure that he wasn't missing anything as James continued to speak.

"I have reason to believe that my sister-in-law is right in her suspicions about Beaux Addrove being framed because I have recently discovered that unbeknownst to myself and my fellow agents back at Interpol in London, that Jason had secretly been using his old contacts and was tracking Beaux's movements throughout Europe for the past year…"

He let that information dangle in the air, and Rossi was the first to speak.

"Wait…why was he following him in the first place?"

James gave a nod of approval at Rossi's question. "That was what I wondered as well, so I asked Laney what she had told Jason about him…and I discovered that she told Jason about Beaux sexually abusing her exactly one year ago."

Suddenly, several things immediately clicked into place for the rest of the team, and Prentiss looked across the table at James, saying exactly what everyone else had just figured out.

"That's when he snapped…the emotional shock of finding out such a dark secret caused his other personality to cross back over…"

James nodded. "Yes…that's exactly the conclusion that I came to."

At this, Morgan leaned forward in his chair and placed his forearms on the table, gesturing with one hand.

"If he snapped one year ago, then why didn't he act until four months ago? Why didn't he just find a way to have him killed?"

Jason shook his head, obviously not knowing the answer to that particular question. James Wright was an Interpol agent and the man's brother…he was not a profiler. That's why he needed their help to prove that his brother _was_ the person that committed the murders.

Reid then spoke up, his mind working rapidly and his voice trying to keep up.

"He couldn't just have him killed because it wouldn't have fulfilled his psychological need…" Everyone in the room gave him a look, so he quickly explained. "Jason is a man of control, and he needs to exert that control everywhere he goes. He most likely left Interpol because it would have been impossible for him to ever gain any _real _position of power; however, as Chief of Police in a small town in Maine he has full control of an entire populace because they look to him for protection and, ultimately, for him to be the one in control…"

James was impressed by how quickly the young kid had pegged his brother.

James nodded at Reid's assessment. "Yeah, you've got that much right. Jason's always been a bit of a control freak, even when we were kids…"

At that, Hotch stepped in, as a particular aspect of the case was still weighing heavily on his mind.

"James, does Tarot have any meaning to your brother?"

At this, the brother looked at Hotch in surprise, completely taken aback by the question.

"Yes, actually," he said carefully. "Our mum did Tarot card readings for tourists when were kids. At least, until dad got a job in the shipyards."

Suddenly, Prentiss's eyes lit up, she being the only one to realize what James had just said and what it implicated. She glanced towards his neck and she saw it; a small tattoo in the image of a black circle with sixteen white petals…it was a chakra.

Emily quickly spoke up.

"You were gypsies…!"

This time, James' look turned to one of suspicion and he quickly stepped back from the table, his gaze turning almost hostile at her words, but she quickly explained.

"Your tattoo, the one on your neck, the fact that your brother didn't get help for his condition until much later in life, and the fact that your mother did Tarot…it all links together. You grew up as a gypsy, didn't you?"

Reid took a quick glance at the man's neck and said, "Ah, the chakra. A symbol that was adopted in 1971 as the official symbol of the Roma, or, more commonly known as, the Gypsy people. It's intentionally meant to resemble a Hindu Chakra wheel to honor the Romani's Indian heritage, and the symbol is vaguely reminiscent of the wheel of the Vardo, or Wagon, which has served as the home for wandering Romany families for more than a hundred years."

James shifted his shirt, covering the marking and then sat down, obviously feeling extremely exposed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he said, his tone agitated.

Morgan spoke up this time.

"Actually, it helps us get inside your brother's head and his reasons for doing what he's doing. Did he ever resent your father getting a job and leaving that life behind?"

James was slow to answer, which was enough for every profiler in the room to infer that, yes, Jason did resent his father for doing so. Morgan paused in his questioning, having the vague feeling that he was on to something, but he didn't know what.

Rossi, surprisingly, was the next one to ask James a question, and shocked everyone.

"Seventeen…that's the age when gypsy men begin to look for their wives." He turned a scrutinizing eye on James. "Jason never went to the festival, did he?"

Prentiss looked over at Rossi and a look of comprehension fell across her face at what Rossi was asking.

James was quiet for a moment and then said, very quietly, "How did you know?"

Prentiss picked back up where Rossi had left off.

"Gypsy boys at the age of seventeen are expected to go certain social gatherings specifically for finding a wife…and he was deprived of that opportunity when your father left behind his old ways and modernized your family while he was only sixteen. He resented this, but couldn't do anything about it because he wasn't yet old enough, but when he was, it was too late…"

James nodded. "Yes, that's true…how on earth do you know all this?"

Emily shrugged. "I grew up overseas in Europe most of my life, and I learned a_ lot_ about the Romani culture."

He nodded his head and avoided her gaze, and then Hotch spoke up.

"He was deprived of finding a wife when he was supposed to, and most likely wasn't able to cope which caused a severe identity crisis…he didn't know where he fit in, so his mind did the only thing that it could do to; it created a personality that _could_ cope with what was happening to him."

Reid suddenly spoke up, and brought everything around to a practically perfect conclusion.

"He married Elaine because of the kind of life that she lived…roaming, desiring, yet in need of a stabilizing male influence in her life. Gypsies marry young in order to encourage fidelity; in fact, being a virgin before marriage is required…"

Reid gave a pointed glare towards James and everyone pulled back a little at the intensity in his eyes, even Hotch and James.

"When Jason married Elaine he assumed because of her young age and moral code that she was pure, which made her perfect in his mind and someone that he could easily control and manipulate…but then, after years of being married, she told him about what happened with Beaux, and he snapped. Suddenly realizing that the woman that he'd married had been impure, in his mind she was considered _mahrime_, a Romani term meaning unclean and impure in a spiritual way, in this case because of her sexual transgressions before marriage, even though they were forced…

…In _his_ mind, she was guilty of giving him _prikoza_, bad luck from coming into contact with _mahrime_. The only thing he _could_ do was to attempt to get rid of her and the cause of her impurity…Beaux Addrove."

He stood from his chair and walked over to where James sat and stared him in the eye, forcing James to look at him.

"He couldn't kill his own wife, though, so he killed five surrogates instead, taking great care to make sure that we would only be able to connect those five women with Addrove…by being the middle-man between Addrove and his clients."

His eyes snapped over to Hotch's.

"_That's_ why Addrove never had any official documents…he was getting numbers from Jason directly!"

Everyone in the room drew in a collective breath at what Reid's brilliant mind had figured out. It all seemed to portray a man who was extremely deadly and dedicated.

A cold-blooded killer who truly believed in his religious-type culture and all of the power of the words and symbols that went with it.

JJ then said something that turned everyone's heads.

"Wait…if Addrove was getting numbers from Jason, then that would mean that Jason had picked them out in advance, and that each one was a pre-meditated kill _specifically_ designed to frame Beaux for the murders, as well as fit the surrogate type that he needed…" She drifted for a moment and then finished her thought. "This would have taken _weeks_ of meticulous planning and pre-meditation…during which, no one suspected or noticed a thing?"

Hotch felt a surge of pride at her incredible insight and finished what she was thinking.

"Because he was the Chief of Police, and no one would question him about such things…"

JJ continued with the train of thought that she had initially started, and wrapped it all up. "And he had all the resources he needed, plus the reputation to guarantee that if Beaux even suspected anything, no one would believe him…"

James was quiet as they said all of this and his eyes went eerily dark. He spoke up at last.

"You forgot one thing…"

They all looked at him, and in a low voice he said…

"Jason didn't do it…his other personality did." Reid tried to protest, saying that they were the same, but James stopped him. "No, you don't understand. I've seen both sides of him. Both personalities…and Jason isn't capable of this, but Thomas is."

They all looked at him in confusion, so he quickly explained.

"When I talked to my brother when his personality split, I learned that his other half had a name…and that his name was Thomas. Unlike Jason, who is one of the most understanding and giving people that I know, Thomas is his opposite…cold, calculating, but with the same dangerous brilliance…"

He looked them all in the eye individually and then stopped at Hotch.

"You don't want Jason, he's not capable of it…you want Thomas."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 20?**


	21. Part XXI

**Part XXI**

They had all separated after going over everything, and JJ was slightly surprised as Hotch pulled her away for a moment, holding her back after everyone else had gone.

Prentiss and Rossi were going to talk to Elaine, and Reid and Morgan had collaborated with James to figure out where Jason had disappeared to. Apparently, after Elaine had made the call to Jason and then to Prentiss, she had discovered that her husband had disappeared from the house and had been unable to contact him on his cell.

JJ looked at Hotch, slightly worried about what he was going to say to her. Was he going to bring up the awkward situation that had happened this morning…?

Or was he going to talk to her about the case?

"JJ," he started, and she watched as his jaw tightened slightly. "You just did brilliant work in here. Because of your contribution, you wrapped up the two issues that didn't fit…and saw how they did."

She felt her face flush at his praise, and tried to brush it off, but just like when they had first been given the case, he wouldn't hear any of it.

"You did amazing, JJ…you really did."

The blonde media-liaison finally realized that she was going to have to learn how to take a compliment from him, so she might as well start now. Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye.

"Thanks, Hotch…that means a lot to me. Especially coming from you."

She suddenly realized the second part of what she'd just said, and felt her face flush. She averted her eyes quickly and was surprised to hear him chuckle.

"That's good to know," he said, a grin crossing his lips.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and a small laugh escaped her lips at his words, and then she stopped herself, placing her hand across her mouth, not quite believing what she was doing…was she flirting with her boss? JJ shook the errant thought away and instead picked up the papers on the table and moved towards the door…

…and then she paused.

She turned slightly in his direction and said, "I had a good time last night, Hotch."

And with that, she left the room, leaving Aaron Hotchner, for the first time in his life, speechless. Had she just flirted with him and then told him that she'd had a good time?

Well…apparently so.

* * *

><p>It was dark out and they <em>still<em> hadn't located Jason Wright, but they were narrowing down their search.

JJ stood in the room, looking over Reid's shoulder as he tried to work the geographical profile. He kept on crossing off certain areas and marking new areas. JJ watched, actually interested in what he was doing, and tried to come up with some possibilities…and then she remembered something.

"Hey, Reid," she said, catching his attention. "Remember when we figured out that the sites were date sites? We still haven't checked Perkins Cove…"

Reid's head snapped back to the board. "You're right, we haven't…!"

He then reached for his phone and quickly called Morgan, who had gone with a couple of the field agents to canvas the area.

"Morgan, I need you to get to Perkins Cove, JJ and I will meet you there," he quickly said, and then hung up his phone, grabbing his coat and heading out the door, JJ following directly behind him as he got into the car and began to drive.

Though he rarely drove, she couldn't deny that he was actually a really good driver.

Within five minutes, they had arrived at the cove, and she got out of the car as quickly as she could. Reid glanced over at her over the hood of the car and said,

"You head up to the office and I'll call Hotch."

She nodded and headed up the boardwalk, which was badly lit, and then the next thing she knew, she felt a hand had wrap around her mouth and she felt something cold and hard jammed into her right side, possibly bruising a rib.

"You try to scream or fight back," the low voice whispered, "A bullet goes into your lungs. Got it?"

She nodded her head, realizing that she had no weapon on her and that Reid wouldn't be able to see her as he had gone off in the opposite direction. She vaguely recognized the voice, but it was different than what she might have expected…and then it hit her.

It was Jason's other personality…it was Thomas.

He had a strong grip on her, so she decided not to struggle, but at the same time she was quickly going over everything she knew about this other personality of his.

Was it possible to reason with him? Would it be possible to talk him down…? Or was he too much of a cold-blooded killer to listen to reason?

What bothered JJ the most, however, was the fact that she didn't fit his victim type, which meant that he really had no use for her. He would probably kill her as soon as he felt that he could get away with it cleanly, without leaving a trace…

…either way, she wasn't going to make it.

* * *

><p>Reid headed up to the station where the men were posted and saw Morgan just outside.<p>

"Morgan! Where's JJ?"

A confused look crossed the agent's face. "Why should I know? Last I heard, she was with you."

A look of panic crossed Reid's face, and Morgan quickly picked up on the fact that she was supposed to have been there and that something was _definitely_ wrong. Before Reid could explain, they heard a car pull up and the two of them watched as Hotch got out and headed in their direction.

"Reid," he yelled. "Do you have any leads on Jason?"

Reid and Morgan exchanged a look, trying to decide who was going to tell him…and then Morgan nodded and spoke.

"Uh, Hotch…I'm pretty sure that he's here." He motioned to a couple of detectives. "We're putting a lockdown on the area at once."

Hotch gave him a dark look. "What makes you so sure?"

Morgan took a deep breath, but Reid spoke up before he could.

"Because JJ's missing…"

* * *

><p><strong>Part 21?**


	22. Part XXII

**Part XXII**

Rossi had arrived only minutes behind Hotch, alongside him Prentiss, and was silently terrified at Hotch's barely controlled anger.

Hotch had been barking orders and, instead of yelling at Reid, he merely gave the young genius a cold stare that Rossi was sure could melt stone.

He could tell that this was more than just a member of the team being taken. Yes, he had told Morgan that he'd always noticed a personal bond between the two agents, but he had always assumed it to be a deep and understanding friendship…but the way that Hotch was acting seemed to suggest that feelings had changed...at least, on Aaron's end.

Prentiss was the first to speak, the most fearless of the four of them.

"So, what do we have that can help narrow down where in Perkins Cove he would take her?"

Hotch shook his head, obviously pissed off.

"We don't have anything! Nothing we can find gives us a single link between him and Perkins Cove. He could be anywhere," he finished softly, anger still simmering in his eyes.

Finally, Rossi decided that he needed to get the ball rolling. No one was really helping, and something needed to be done.

"Alright, then," he said firmly, grabbing everyone's attention. "Let's go through what we know about Jason and what we know about his split personality. One, both sides of his personality seem to have an obsessive need for control, hence the elaborate set-up of Addrove and the meticulous execution of each of the women…anything else?"

He cast his gaze across the group, and Morgan finally spoke.

"Well, as Jason he's a tad more subservient and much more subtle in his control…which means, that at some level, his other personality is not. The persona of Thomas is more overt, more obvious, more physically overbearing…"

Reid shook his head in agreement and picked up from there. "He's probably gone someplace that gives him complete control and privacy, someplace that will give him the upper hand and make him appear more threatening..."

Rossi saw Hotch look down at the ground, keeping his eyes from any contact from the rest of the team.

It was obvious to Dave that their fearless leader was having trouble containing his emotions…maybe Morgan hadn't been right before, but at this point maybe he was.

Hotch was too close.

Prentiss spoke up this time. "We should check the marina and some of the docks. There are a few warehouses in that area where he could easily hide and not be heard."

Rossi nodded, taking over for the moment, as Hotch had stepped to the side of the room and was pinching the bridge of his nose, obviously trying to stave off the headache that had most likely developed because of the sudden emotional stress.

Rossi realized, however, that their plain analysis wasn't enough…and that he would have to share the thoughts that had plagued him ever since he'd found out about the Chief's split personality.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and then made a statement that sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"I think we all need to realize something. Jason Wright doesn't just have a split personality-he has a split everything. Whereas the Jason side of him is loving, protective, humble and slightly lacking in social skills, Thomas isn't…Thomas is cold, manipulative, calculating, and he reads people like a book. He's a serial killer with all of the skills of a profiler and a cop rolled into one. He's the most dangerous unsub that we've ever been up against."

Reid was the first to nod in agreement and soon after both Prentiss and Morgan did as well.

Hotch didn't meet anyone's eye and simply said…

"Let's get this son of a bitch."

* * *

><p>JJ was silently terrified as she watched JasonThomas pace in front of her, gun in his outstretched hand.

Seeing the gun in his hand reminded of her of her own mistake.

How the _hell_ had she forgotten to grab her weapon from the car? It was second nature for her to clip it on…but, somehow, she _had_ forgotten.

JJ had looked around as soon as he'd dumped her on the floor, but she had soon discovered that the only way out of the building that they had come into was the same way that they had come in…and he was blocking the exit.

She took a deep, steadying breath and simply listened to him as he talked to her as Thomas.

"You think I wanted to do this?" he asked her rhetorically, giving her a look that she didn't quite understand. "I _really_ didn't, Agent Jareau…but you honestly gave me no choice. You see, Jason can't go to prison…he wouldn't survive in there. I might, but he wouldn't."

JJ was suddenly confused by what Thomas/Jason was saying. What was he talking about?

Thomas saw the confusion in her eyes and he explained himself.

"You see, sweetheart, I only exist because Jason does…take away Jason, and I die."

She continued to give him a look, and he shook his head and laughed, but it was a harsh and grating laugh, one that seemed to be mocking.

"Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer…you just don't get it, do you? I am the part of Jason that can _make_ those impossible decisions. I am his _better_ half…and I recognize his weakness. He couldn't admit that his wife was unclean, that she was _mahrime_…and so, I had to fix things for him…"

JJ quickly began to understand what Thomas was saying, and she felt her stomach plummet.

Thomas had no emotion…no remorse.

He could shoot her right now and feel nothing. That meant her only asset, empathizing, was useless against him…

She was trapped.

He continued to rant.

"Jason loves his wife, you see, so I couldn't kill her because he would become obsolete, a shell of a man, and I need him in order to survive…" He paused, his face twisting with emotion. "That stupid whore, that selfish bitch."

He continued to pace, the entire time keeping his finger next to the trigger on the gun which she now recognized as her own weapon from the seat of the car.

"I should have seen it since the beginning…she was unclean, not worthy of Jason. She tainted him, and everything that I've done has been to remove that stain from off of him…he deserves so much better."

He looked up and saw her looking at the gun and smirk crossed his lips. He kneeled down on the floor and lifted the hand that held the gun.

"Looking at this, sweetheart?" JJ said nothing. He continued to smirk. "Yeah…you're probably wondering how I got your gun. Let's just say that for FBI agents, you guys don't seem to ever lock your car doors…"

He let out a bark of laughter and then stood back up, leaning against the door and looking down at her on the floor.

"It's interesting, agent, how you haven't moved from the floor even though I haven't tied you up or restricted you in any way…"

JJ was surprised. He was right. She hadn't tried to move at all from where she was…why hadn't she?

Thomas/Jason saw the look of surprise on her face and gave her another dark smile.

"You see…I _know_ why you haven't tried anything. It's because you know what will happen if you try to defy me in any way. You read the autopsies of the women…you know that their necks were broken in one, swift, clean break. I could kill you without trying," he said, his smile turning into a deep scowl.

"But I won't…because you're my bargaining chip."

Though she would never admit it out loud, he was right. There seemed to be an icy fear in the pit of her stomach that was telling her to simply do as he asked, because otherwise she would end up just like the rest of his victims.

He then moved over next to her, letting the gun brush against her cheek, the cool metal a shock to her flushed face, and JJ involuntarily flinched at the sensation.

"But of course, _they_ don't know that…"

* * *

><p><strong>Part 22?**


	23. Part XXIII

**Part XXIII**

Prentiss walked alongside Rossi, the two of them heading towards one of the warehouses directly on the water.

She had noticed that Hotch seemed to be reacting in a rather extreme way to JJ's kidnapping, more so than he had on previous occasions of one of the team members being taken. She thought about mentioning it, but decided that it wasn't the right time or place.

Right now, they had to find JJ.

It was rather odd, but Emily found some comfort in the presence of the Italian gentleman.

Rossi was Hotch's oldest friend, and someone that she greatly respected and admired, and her admiration had grown for him the instant that she'd seen him silently step up to the plate as Hotch had crumbled.

Any other man might have said something, made a pointed comment…but Rossi didn't.

She silently applauded him for his actions, but was still outwardly worried about finding one of her own friends.

Finally, she voiced her concerns.

"Rossi…JJ will be okay, right? I mean, she's one of the best shots in the Bureau, so I bet-"

He cut her off. "JJ's best shot is if she doesn't antagonize him...which she's already probably figured out, what with that brilliant mind of hers."

Emily couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"That's true…she _is_ rather good at what she does. And pretty good at what we do, too, by the way. Did you see how quickly she figured out how long it must have taken Wright to plan this whole thing? I can't believe we missed that."

Rossi nodded.

"Yes, she's good…which is why we need to get her back."

Prentiss merely nodded, and they resolutely drew their guns and searched the first warehouse.

* * *

><p>Hotch couldn't even look at anyone in the room, for fear of showing what was going on in his head.<p>

He had dealt with members of his team being taken hostage before, but this was affecting more than it should and he was afraid of how easily he was showing it.

He knew that he had to pull himself together if he wanted to find JJ…and Jason. It was strange how the murderer came second. Why was this affecting him so deeply and so suddenly? Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the two of them had shared a dinner together with their sons…yes, that must be it.

He walked across the room, over to where Reid had left the map.

He had decided that it would be best that he not go out into the field, considering how compromised he was at the moment.

Prentiss and Rossi were scoping one half, while Reid and Morgan took the other half…

…JJ's absence almost felt like a physical silence, and it weighed heavily on his conscience.

Hotch looked over the map, trying to figure out where Jason/Thomas might have taken her, and he briefly noted that both Elaine and James had walked into the room. He saw James' hand go to a holster at his hip and he noted the searching gaze that swept through the room.

Good. The man wasn't taking any chances.

Hotch then watched as James escorted Elaine to a seat and then approached him, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"So…what have you got?"

Hotch shrugged, hating to admit his lack of knowledge, but knowing that he needed all the input he could get.

"Not much…as far as we can tell, there aren't any places here that are significant to your brother and it could take hours to search the whole place."

James nodded in agreement and began to look at the map himself, and Hotch could see the wheels turning inside the man's head. The man was Interpol, after all, so he was bound to have some sort of insight that he didn't.

Hotch began to turn away, but then Jason pointed to a picture to the side of the map.

"Wait…what shipping company is this? I think I recognize the logo…"

Hotch looked up at it and then pulled out some papers from the file on the desk. "Uh…IIS Incorporated. Why?"

James mouth went into a grim line.

"Our father used to work for IIS…it stands for International Industrial Shipping." He glanced at the location. "And it's only two warehouses down from here."

He grabbed his coat from where he'd placed it on the table, and Hotch immediately followed after him, barely remembering to call the rest of the team on the way out the door as he also managed to strap his FBI vest on. He had a woman to save…

* * *

><p>JJ watched in morbid fascination as ThomasJason walked back and forth in front of the door, arguing with each other…themselves…himself…she didn't know what to call it.

The Jason that she knew was the one to speak first, the fear evident in his shaky accent.

"_Please, Thomas, she doesn't deserve this, we can let her go-" _

"Let her go? Are you insane? I could put a bullet through her and none would be the wiser…it's her gun, you know. I know how to make it look like a suicide, thanks to you."

"_No, no! I just…I just want to be back with Elaine…" _

"That whore? That dirty filth that tainted you with the _prikoza_? No, no, no, Jason. You _know_ better. You know that all that she will do is bring you down until you are unworthy to even stand in the presence of your own brother!"

"_No, that's not true…that's not true. Elaine is good, she is _not_ responsible for what happened to her…please, let this agent go!"_

Suddenly, the cold mask that covered Thomas/Jason's face made JJ's blood turn to ice, and his words were worse.

"You know what…since you asked _so_ nicely, I think I'll make the pain last this time…" He turned to JJ, where she still sat on the floor and continued. "You see, Jason…you forget so easily. I know what you know, which means I know how to torture someone so slowly…how to make the pain _last_ for a very, _very_ long time…"

He knelt on the ground and looked JJ in the eye, waving the gun in his left hand in her face.

"You see, Jennifer…without Jason, I would be nothing. He gives my life meaning, purpose…and, oh yeah…_pleasure_."

He leered this time, and at this point JJ knew that Jason wasn't coming back. Thomas was the one that was in full control at that point and there was no stopping what he was about to do to her, and she would simply have to bear it.

Thomas leaned in slightly and she was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that he was an extremely broad-shouldered man and that she had no chance of any form of defense.

He then spoke.

"The gun would be the easy way out, Jennifer…I don't believe in the easy way. That's what my coward of a father took…the easy way out. He got that job because he had given up on his other rightful duties as a father, and sacrificed my _life_ along with it!"

At that, he stood, his eyes blazing with fury.

"And, you know what? I think I've changed my mind…"

With that, he leveled the gun at her and she watched in absolute petrified fear as his left finger tightened on the trigger…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 23?**


	24. Part XXIV

**A.N. - Translations for words: **

**_Prala - Brother_**

**_Hush kacker! - Shut up and listen! _**

**_Dai - Mother _**

**_Paramitsha - Romani fairy tales_**

**_Chindilan, glata? - Are you tired, children?_**

**_Latcho drom - Good journey_**

**_Gosta - Enough_**

**_Gaje - non-Gypsy, anyone not Romani_**

* * *

><p><strong>Part XXIV<strong>

Suddenly, there was a loud clanging, and his finger quickly receded off the trigger and he reached down and pulled her up to a standing position, wrapping his right arm around her entire midsection and he placed the gun to her head.

The door flew open and JJ wanted to weep in relief, but she contained herself.

It was Hotch. And James.

But Hotch was the only person that she could see at that moment, and his eyes caught hers.

JJ could see the unspoken question in them, the one that asked _Are you alright?_, and she gave a small imperceptible nod. Yes, she was fine and unhurt. All she wanted was to be free from this maniac's grasp.

She could feel the cold metal digging into her temple and another shiver ran down her spine.

This was _not_ the way that she wanted to die.

James began to speak, obviously trying to talk his brother down.

"Jason…you don't want to do this. Just hand her over, and everything will be fine…"

Both James and Hotch had their weapons drawn; pointing them straight towards the man that JJ knew was no longer Jason, but now Thomas. The man that could, at any second, pull the trigger and end her life with a bullet into her brain.

Jason/Thomas laughed at his brother's comment and she could practically hear him smirk as he spoke.

"I find it sad that you think that Jason is the one in control right now, James…you know better than that."

Both James' and Hotch's eyes darkened at that statement, and she watched in fascination as Hotch's jaw tightened as well, and his resolve hardened.

James once more leveled his eyes with his brother and then continued to try to talk him down.

"Look, Thomas…I _know_ that Jason is still in there, and that he's stronger than you. All I want, right now, is to talk to him, nothing more…do you understand?"

Thomas laughed again and pulled JJ tighter against his body and pressed the gun a bit firmer to her temple, and she found herself suddenly paralyzed with fear, realizing that Jason was truly gone, and that Thomas was not going to let go now that he had control.

"Oh, yes, Jason's still in there…but he's not stronger than me. You, of all people, should know that!"

He then began to back up, taking JJ with him and she tried to catch her breath, but his other arm was still tightly wrapped around her torso and compressing her lungs, making it nearly impossible to do so.

"And by the way," he added, dry humor filling his tone. "I don't think I'll let him out…because unlike him, I'm not stupid! I know that the instant that little, weakling Jason comes out, he would drop this gun, thereby losing any possible leverage he might have against Agent Hotchner, here…"

JJ's eyes widened at this comment and she saw Hotch falter slightly, his gun wavering for a moment, and then Jason/Thomas continued.

"Oh? You didn't think I didn't notice the looks? The glances? The lingering gazes that you gave her when you thought she wasn't looking?"

JJ could barely believe what she was hearing, and she glanced at Hotch and saw all the confirmation she needed in his face.

His expression was pained, and it obvious that Thomas had hit it right on the head.

James moved forward slightly, putting himself between the now obviously emotionally compromised federal agent and his brother. JJ was hard pressed to not react to the look in James' eyes…it was so much like his brother's look that it made her nervous.

James then spoke, his tone low and even.

"Please, Thomas…it doesn't matter if Jason isn't there. You're still my family, _prala_…"

He was cut off by Thomas yelling. "_Hush kacker!_ You lost the right to call me that years ago, so don't even try it, don't try and call me brother!"

JJ wished she understood what the first part had meant, but realized that it didn't matter considering the fact that he had a gun to her head…wait a minute…

The pressure on her ribs had lessened slightly and the cold metal wasn't digging as hard into her skin…in fact, the gun almost wasn't even touching her anymore…

She wondered if she should take the chance, but decided that it would still be too risky, and allowed James to continue to distract his brother. It was obviously working to some degree and was pulling his mind away from trying to keep her hostage.

James pressed once more, Hotch remaining silent behind him.

"Do…Do you remember how _dai_ used to read us _paramitsha_ when we were younger? How every night, before bed, she would ask us, _Chindilan, glata?_, and then after we told her yes, she would always say _Latcho drom_…every night, without fail…"

JJ felt Thomas's grip lessen a bit more, and then tighten as he said,

"_Dosta_…it doesn't matter anymore. Jason is _mahrime_ and Elaine is _gaje_…that is all that matters. Jason is dead."

James saw how his brother pulled back and quickly responded.

"Thomas…please. You know that you _need_ Jason, you've told me so yourself…you'll die without him, remember?"

Again, the grip loosened…but this time it loosened enough that she realized she could escape. Quickly, she rammed an elbow back into his chest and ducked down as she felt his arm try to grab her once more and dropped to her knees as she saw Hotch's finger tighten on his trigger.

She heard Thomas/Jason hit the ground behind her.

And in the next moment, Hotch was there beside her, his hands sliding to her arms and lifting her to her feet.

Never had she been more relieved to have him with her in her life. Thank god he was there.

She practically collapsed into his arms, suddenly feeling very aware of the fact that she had been so very close to not existing, and now she was in Hotch's arms, shaking like a brittle fall leaf that could break at any moment.

He said nothing, merely pressing his lips into her hair and keeping his arms tight around her shoulders.

Hotch was vaguely aware of James calling 911 and then kneeling down next to his brother, holding his hand against the bleeding wound in his shoulder.

The only thing that he was aware of was the fact that JJ was in his arms and that she was _alive_. So very much alive.

He sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the night sky.

She was alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 24?**


	25. Part XXV

**Part XXV**

JJ was quiet on the plane, and no one was really saying anything, but that was to be expected. No one had thought that what had originally seemed to be a normal case would have turned out quite like that. It was unnerving to say the least.

Rossi and Prentiss sat next to each other on one of the couches, Rossi casting hidden glances over to where Hotch and JJ sat.

Neither of the two agents had said a word to each other since she'd been rescued, but Dave had the faint feeling that they'd still had an entire conversation with their eyes, nonetheless.

He felt Prentiss nudge his shoulder with her own, and he looked over at her and saw her knowing grin.

She nodded in Hotch's direction and then rolled her eyes slightly. Yes, it seemed that she'd figured it out, too. Not too surprising, though, Rossi thought. She _had_ always been a quick study and had probably picked up on the subtle nuances even before he had.

Rossi glanced over to where Morgan and Reid were sitting, a chessboard on the table between them, and a smirk came across his lips.

Reid was trying to explain to Morgan what he was doing wrong and it was fairly amusing.

"You see, Derek, if you move your knight there, you open me up to use the _Zwischenzug_ _Strategy_, which would leave you crippled and completely open to my second attack, and thereby I would win the game in no less than-"

Morgan cut him off.

"Reid!" Spencer paused, giving him a look. "Don't. Go. There. You say another name of another strategy one more time _or_ try to correct me one more time…I _will_ smack you…is that understood?"

Reid simply nodded, but it was obvious to both him and Prentiss that Reid was probably boring a hole through his tongue from trying not to say another word.

Prentiss let out a small laugh and Rossi smiled.

It was strange…it was obvious to the two of them that Hotch and JJ had probably had this coming for a long time, but they hadn't noticed their own connection. Feeling brazen, Rossi carefully placed a hand on Emily's wrist…

..and then she rotated her hand so that their fingers touched.

He gave her a side look, and she returned it with a slight quirk of her lips, not quite a smile, but he knew what it meant when he felt her fingers gently entwine with his.

He looked back towards Hotch and saw that JJ had fallen asleep, her head on their Unit Chief's shoulder.

Rossi caught Hotch's eye and gave him a reassuring smile. Yes, it was alright with him that they'd found each other. Their silent leader and blonde media-liaison fit together well, and both of them were good for the other person, that much was most assuredly obvious.

Hotch returned the smile with a slight nod, giving a pointed look towards Rossi's hand where it lay with Emily's on the small space on the couch between the two of them, and a small grin escaped the corner of the usually stoic man's face.

Yes, apparently Hotch approved of the two of them as well.

That was good to know.

* * *

><p>Hotch drove JJ over to Jessica's, the two of them picking up their boys.<p>

Both Henry and Jack seemed to be just fine, and JJ breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Henry might have anxiety over being separated from her, but apparently Jessica had had no problems with her little boy.

She held Henry on her lap as Hotch drove and was surprised as he turned left at the light, and she gave him a questioning look.

"Where are you going?"

He looked at her in surprise. "I was heading back to your house…"

JJ then realized that she had been subconsciously expecting the four of them to go to Hotch's home, and she flushed slightly as she realized what she had implied in her question.

She quickly recovered from her embarrassment and simply nodded.

"Right, of course you were. Sorry…got turned around."

However, in the back of both of their minds, they knew that it was an excuse. _A _really_ lame excuse_, she thought to herself as he made his way down the roads back to her house. What had she been thinking?

Hotch said nothing, and for that she was eternally grateful.

He tightened his hand on the wheel and continued to focus on the road, but as soon as he pulled in front of her building, which to him was all too soon, he felt his heart sink a little.

JJ stepped out of the car, her eyes not catching his pained look as she headed towards her building without a backward glance.

He paused and stared for a moment, and then pulled away.

Now was not the time to do this. Now was the time to try and focus on what was most important for him and his boy…and his thoughts kept going to JJ. Even as he carried his sleeping son out of the car and into the house, and placing him under his covers…his thoughts were focused on her.

He sighed as he headed to the front door and locked it; unable to earlier as his arms had been full with Jack.

Hotch then kicked off his shoes and padded down the hall to his room, loosening his tie as he went.

He stepped inside, threw his tie on the chair just inside the door, and began to unbutton his shirt…when he saw the bed.

It was the same as it had been when he'd left only a day and a half ago…

Rumpled, the covers tossed, the sheets twisted…all from when JJ had slept in it. Without thinking about what he was doing, he walked over to the bed and picked up a pillow and held it to his nose, deeply inhaling...and a low groan escaped him.

Her smell…it was her scent, the one that he knew from working with her every day for the past seven years.

And, suddenly, he had no desire to ever wash those sheets again.

He put the pillow back onto the bed and cast a painful look towards it. No…he couldn't sleep there.

He grabbed the blanket from the end of the bed, instead, and quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. He would sleep on the couch tonight…and possibly every night from now on. That memory was a bit too strong, and he would have to wait until it faded…_if_ it faded.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 25?**


	26. Part XXVI

**Part XXVI**

After JJ had put down Henry, all she could think of was the fact that she hadn't turned around.

Why hadn't she turned around? Even just to say goodbye?

But even as she asked the question in her mind, she knew why. Because to say goodbye at that moment would have felt too much like an end to what was happening between the two of them…which was something that she _still_ couldn't understand.

They had been friends for so long, and now things seemed to be changing…but what were they changing into?

JJ walked into her bedroom and quickly changed into her pajamas, a simple gray shirt and blue girl-boxer shorts, and the entire time her mind twisted around in circles, trying to understand.

Walking into her kitchen to grab a late-night snack, she finally decided to be honest with herself.

Okay, she was attracted to him, that much she was willing to admit. Aaron Hotchner was an attractive man and it was simply obvious. Now came the hard part…well, she enjoyed talking to him and enjoyed his company, but who wouldn't?

Once he let down that armor of his, he was someone that everyone wanted to know…of course, he rarely did let down that armor.

Except with her.

Now that was the thought that scared her.

Why only her? He had gotten to know everyone on the team and she thought that they were all his friends in some way or another, but, then again, he didn't even let down his guard with Rossi all that often, if ever.

So…why her? What made her so different from everyone else?

She stood in her kitchen, chewing silently, savoring the cheese-dust-coated morsels in her mouth.

JJ wasn't oblivious to the fact that throughout the years they'd had several unguarded moments together, but something had changed in the last few days…

…and then it hit her.

There had been a moment.

Suddenly, the memory was vivid in her mind, as though she were relieving it, and she almost choked on her next bite. It had been when they had stood in his dining room and were waiting for the boys to come in…and their eyes had caught.

She had seen in his eyes what she knew was in her own, but she couldn't bring herself to even say it in her mind, let alone out loud.

But she couldn't deny that it _had _happened…of that much, she was certain.

She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, setting herself down on the couch and turning on the television, keeping the volume on low, not wanting to wake Henry.

And she continued to snack, each cheesy, crunchy bite making her feel a little bit better each time. For other people, ice cream and sweets were comfort food, but not for Jennifer Jareau. Her weakness would always be Cheetohs. She didn't understand why, but they made her feel better.

She grinned slightly as she thought about that.

Reid could probably explain some sort of psychological connection between the food and her childhood, and she knew that Morgan would simply tease her about it in his older-brother type way.

Her smile softened as she continued to eat and occasionally glance at the television.

They really were a family, the team. Each person had their place and they played their roles well.

She started to categorize them, nearly laughing as she did so, wondering what they would think of her ideas. Rossi was most _definitely_ the fun, but sage wise uncle type, and he played his part well. Derek Morgan was an easy one…just as she'd thought before, older brother and eldest child.

Reid…ah, Spence. The youngest, the kid brother that everyone loved to tease, but all adored.

Penelope Garcia easily fit into the role of aunt…or beloved, quirky sister. It varied on her day to day moods.

Emily Prentiss…now there was a tough one to fit. Originally, she had always seen her as a middle child, sister-type role…but JJ knew that she and Rossi had something going on, which put her more as an aunt. But that fit her, and JJ was pleased with how she was a mediator in the group, trying to avoid tensions.

And that left her and Hotch.

Hotch, just like Morgan, was easy to fit. Dominant male patriarch…the father-figure of the group. He looked out for everyone and defended his family when he needed to.

Now it was just her…and she felt herself come to a startling conclusion as she thought about her actions and how they could be construed…

…it was obvious that she was the matriarch.

She looked out for each of them, but was particularly defensive over Reid, much as a mother would be over her youngest child, and she was the only one who called him Spence. Her own nickname for him that no one else ever dared to use because they knew it was her special way of showing her appreciation for him.

She treated Rossi almost like a brother at times…or a brother-in-law was more like it. Friendly, but not as close as she'd like to be.

She was always watching out for Emily and Morgan, and mediated a _lot_ between Morgan and Reid.

Shifting in her seat on the couch, JJ slowly realized that she'd put her and Hotch as the two leaders in their BAU family, and then it all suddenly made sense.

They had been close for years, but had never had the chance to do anything but stay in their respective positions…but now, all the reasons holding them back from acting on any possible emotions were gone, finally allowing some of those walls to be broken down…and for her to realize the truth.

Good lord…she was in love with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 26?**


	27. Part XXVII

**Part XXVII**

Hotch woke up the next morning to a sudden pain shooting down his spine and he was disoriented for a moment, not sure of where he was…until he remembered.

Living room.

That was right. He'd slept on the couch.

Slowly pulling himself up into a sitting position, he moved his legs over the edge and then carefully stood, wincing as he felt his back pop and heard an accompanying audible sound.

It was his own fault. He knew that sleeping on that couch two nights in a row always did that to him, but he couldn't sleep in his room. Not while it was still…he just couldn't. Realizing that he was awake early enough to make Jack pancakes, he walked into the kitchen and began to do just that.

It was summer, so he didn't have to worry about school, and they didn't have a case so far, so he decided to take a personal day.

He quickly called it in as he cooked and then smiled to himself as he hung up the phone and heard the sound of his son coming down the hall.

"Daddy?" a small and still tired voice said.

Hotch let a huge grin cross his lips as Jack appeared in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes…and then watched in amusement as Jack's eyes got wide at the sight of the food on the table.

"Surprise, buddy! I thought you might like pancakes and bacon this morning…what do you say?"

Jack suddenly ran across the room and wrapped his arms tightly around his dad's legs, and then Hotch leaned down and picked the quickly growing boy up into his arms.

"I take it you approve?" he said, trying to keep the laughter from his voice.

Jack just nodded his head, his eyes still wide in amazement at the sight of all the pancakes, unable to tear his gaze from the table.

Hotch laughed slightly and took the boy over to the table and put him in his usual chair, and then sat across from him. He folded his hands together and looked over at the small boy, arching an eyebrow.

"You want to say it, or should I?"

Jack finally spoke. "Me, daddy! I want to say it!"

Hotch chuckled at his son's enthusiasm and gave a small nod in his direction.

"Okay, buddy. You can say it."

With that, Jack quickly folded his small hands and scrunched his eyes closed, his brow wrinkling as he said the prayer.

"Dear God, thank you for the food that daddy made...thank you for Henry's mommy making him smile again…" Hotch's heart tightened at that and he carefully listened to the rest of his son's fervent prayer. "…thank you for bringing daddy home, and please watch over mommy in heaven…Amen."

Hotch added his own amen and gave a loving glance towards his son as he began to eat the pancakes in front of him with fervor.

Unlike him, Jack had always liked his pancakes with just maple syrup, something that Hotch had always known Haley had done, but now he only had butter on his pancakes, sans the syrup.

"Hey, buddy…?"

Jack looked up, his mouth stuffed with pancake.

"Yesh, dabby?" he said, trying to talk with his mouth full, and his father gave him a look. He obediently chewed and then swallowed and said, "Yes, daddy?"

Hotch pointed at his son's pancakes.

"Why don't you like syrup anymore? Why just butter?"

At that question, for some odd reason, Jack just looked at his pancakes and smiled, and then lifted his eyes back to his dad's.

"'Cause that's how Henry's mommy makes them for him. He says butter's the best!"

At that, Hotch felt his chest tighten with emotion once more. His son was truly a god-send and it was obvious that he could see what neither Hotch nor JJ could see. For that, Hotch was silently grateful. His childish innocence and innocent observations was opening his eyes to the fact that he and JJ were more than he'd realized.

Jack went back to eating and his father joined him, but in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder at what else he might have missed.

What else had his son seen that both he and JJ were too blind to see?

Yes, they had always had a friendship, one that had deepened over the years, but was it really much more than that?

His experiences with JJ over the past few days had been enlightening, sure, but all they had seemed to do, for him at least, was affirm the fact that, yes, they had an incredibly strong friendship…but Jack seemed to see something more.

Finally, he decided to ask Jack a few questions.

"Hey, Jack…what did you mean when you said Henry's mommy made me smile? I smile, buddy. I smile all the time."

He gave his son a soft look, trying to understand and watched as Jack scrunched up his face again and then said,

"Yeah, but she makes your eyes smile, too. You only smile with your mouth…but she makes you smile with your eyes."

He looked at his dad, obviously confused why his dad didn't understand what he was saying, and Hotch felt his chest tighten once more at that innocent comment from his precocious little boy.

Yes…he understood what that meant a little bit, but he needed to be sure, so he asked another question.

"Well, buddy…does anyone else make me smile with my eyes?"

Jack looked back down at his pancakes, playing slightly with his food on his fork. "Mommy sometimes did…"

At that, he felt as though he had just been hit by a baseball bat across the chest, the wind completely knocked out of him. _That_ was what Jack meant by that…and the reasoning behind all of it scared him out of his mind.

It was the only explanation…and it was the scariest, yet the only possible explanation as well…which made it ten times more frightening.

He was in love with JJ…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 27?**


	28. Part XXVIII

**Part XXVIII**

Hotch walked into work, focusing on the new case file in his hand.

It had been two weeks since their last case, and they had managed to meet a few more times. Lunch one day, dinner a couple of days later.

Last weekend they had taken the boys to one of the museums, where they'd all had an enjoyable afternoon together, and, one more time, they'd all had dinner together on Sunday night, along with the movies as well.

But this time she had gone home afterwards.

Each time they had met, however, the atmosphere had been more charged than usual. As though they were hyper aware of the other person, and Hotch had a vaguely disquieting feeling that JJ wasn't telling him something, but he knew that whatever it was, she would tell him when she was ready.

Every moment had been sweet torture for him. He loved her company, but suddenly knowing that he was in love with her and that he could do nothing about it...

...it was painful.

His thoughts kept on straying, so he forced himself to focus on the facts of the case.

Four men dead in Fairmont, West Virginia. All of them garroted with piano wire in a brutal fashion.

As far as he could tell, none of them were connected in any way, but that was what the team was for. He walked into the conference room, noting that he was the last one in, and then nodded to JJ, who quickly started.

"Okay, we have four men dead. All of them were in their mid to late thirties with dark hair, and all of their throats were cut using piano wire."

She pressed a button and flipped to the next image, a close-up of one of the neck wounds.

"Local police have found almost nothing in forensics. The wire was left at the scene, but no DNA could be pulled from it, and the only lead they have is this..."

She flipped to the next image.

"At each crime scene they found the same interesting detail. Something nearby had been cleaned up or put into meticulous order." She scanned through each of the four photos, explaining each one as she went.

"At the Doyle house, their books had been rearranged not only in alphabetical order, but by genre, author _and_ publishing date."

Both Morgan and Prentiss looked over at Reid when they heard this, small grins on their faces, and Reid gave them a confused look back.

"What?"

Rossi just chuckled, knowing exactly what they were thinking.

JJ continued. "At the Jackson house, all of the pictures had been rearranged by date and size of the photo; at the Messer's, their video collection; and at the most recent victim's home, the Grayson's, their music collection. All of the collections were organized by several different categories and types."

Reid looked at the four photos which were now all side by side up on the screen and quickly went through them.

"The obsessively detailed nature of these acts indicates someone with an extreme case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and along with how methodical and identical each of the kills were, I would say that this unsub also has _severe_ control issues."

Hotch nodded his head in agreement, and then Morgan spoke up.

"What bothers me, though, is how deep the wire went on each of the victim's necks." He motioned up to the screen. "This speaks to a lot of suppressed anger and rage in our unsub."

Prentiss nodded, and then threw in her two cents.

"Considering how much anger is involved, I _would_ say that these were extremely personal kills, but nothing in the files suggests any connections between any of our victims."

Rossi finally spoke up. "This unsub seems to have gotten into their homes without any forced entry...which leads me to think that they _knew_ their attacker, or at least were comfortable enough with who they were that they let them in without any worry for their safety."

Hotch nodded and then looked at JJ, a question forming in his mind, but she answered it before he could even ask.

"None of them had any pianos in their homes, so we know that the unsub is bringing their weapon with them, and then dumping it with the bodies."

Hotch gave her a small smile, and she smiled back, forgetting for a moment that everyone else was in the room.

Prentiss gave the two of them a look which JJ suddenly noticed, so she quickly averted her eyes and pressed a button on the remote, turning the screen to black, and she reached down for her tablet which held everything that had just been on the screen.

She then covered by talking.

"I'll have Garcia run full background checks on each of the victims, see if anything overlaps."

Hotch nodded and then stood.

"Good. Wheels up in twenty."

With that, everyone left the room, but Hotch lingered behind and caught JJ before she left.

"JJ..." he started, and their eyes caught, and it took him a moment to figure out the rest of his words. "It's okay if you want to tell them...I'm fine with it."

JJ looked at her Unit Chief in shock, not quite believing what she was hearing, but then he added,

"...So long as it _stays_ within the team."

He arched an eyebrow and she let out a small laugh, surprised at seeing this side of him at work. But then she gave him another look, her eyes gently appraising him, obviously taking in what he had just told her.

She then smiled. "I'll think about it..."

And with that, she walked out of the room, trying not to grin maniacally at what he'd just implied to her with his words.

He was serious about this. Whatever was happening between the two of them, he meant it for the long haul.

Saying that she could tell the team was the equivalent of saying that she could tell her parents for crying out loud! All she had to do was tell one member of their close-knit group, and everyone would know within an hour.

JJ grinned to herself.

If she told Garcia first, everyone would know within _minutes_...now _there_ was an idea.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 28?**


	29. Part XXIX

**Part XXIX**

They started running through some theories on the jet, Reid being the one who was talking the most.

"The fact that our unsub is using only wire and that there seem to be no other marks on the body seems to indicate that this particular unsub is of unusual strength, especially considering how physically fit each of the victims are. That _should_ make our unsub stand out in a crowd."

Prentiss nodded, and then cut in.

"True, but at the same time our unsub is unassuming enough to not seem to pose as a threat, because the only way they could have entered is if they were let into the home voluntarily."

Then, the screen on the laptop on the table came on, showing Penelope Garcia.

_"Hello, my lovelies...I have some good news for you."_

"Go ahead and tell us, baby girl," Morgan said in his typical fashion and Garcia grinned.

_"Gladly. Okay, so even though none of the victims have any social links, they all had one interesting little commonality between them..."_

She paused, dragging the moment out, but then Rossi, in a warning tone said, "Garcia..."

_"Alright, alright, my impatient Italian...all of our victims have histories of abuse."_

They all looked at Garcia in confusion, and JJ spoke up.

"Wait, they were abused?"

_"No, no, no, my blonde angel," _she clarified. _"You misunderstand..._they_ were the abusers."_

She paused for a moment, pulling up their files and then explained each one.

_"Travis Doyle, age 37, was accused of beating his younger sister and breaking her arm, but was never convicted; Lawrence Jackson, age 35, was accused of beating his wife, and he, too, was never convicted; Daniel Messer, accused of beating his girlfriend; Richard Grayson, his sister. All of them never convicted."_

They all looked at the cases on their tablets, Reid in paper, and they all looked back up at Garcia.

Hotch was the first to comment.

"How come this wasn't discovered by the police earlier?"

_"Because they were never actually _convicted_, they have no _real _criminal records; hence it wasn't put as a link between all of our victims."_

Hotch nodded.

"Thanks, Garcia. We'll call you if we need anything else."

She nodded. _"Of course, mon Capitan!"_

With that dramatic turn of phrase, she turned off the monitor, leaving them to digest that information and add it into their profile of the unsub, adjusting it as they needed to.

This changed things, that was for sure. No longer were they looking at random killings, but instead someone who fancied themselves as an executer of justice. Had they stumbled across a rogue crusader?

* * *

><p>At the small precinct, Reid immediately started the geographical profile, JJ joining him as she had on their last case. She seemed to have knack for finding patterns, so she figured that it was better to play to her strengths.<p>

She looked at each of the locations and was surprised by how close together they were.

"Wow...none of the victims were more than four miles away from each other. Isn't that kind of odd?"

Reid nodded vehemently, and then started to talk.

"_Extremely_ odd, actually. The calculations alone on how unlikely this type of situation is are _incredibly_ high. When a killer kills, they need to stay within or away from a certain zone, but in this case we know that our unsub is right in this area..."

He used a red marker and circled a tiny area of the map, an area that could easily be secured by roadblocks.

It was only a few miles square…but it still included several thousand people. And from what JJ had seen of most of the locals, a lot of the men looked to be pretty strong and fit; all of them easily strong enough to do what needed to be done to cut a throat with a piano wire.

_That_ certainly didn't help to narrow their search down.

It was obvious that a lot of these men had grown up with the pastimes of hunting and football…and not much else. This meant that they were broad in shoulder and strong in arms…as well as well acquainted with rifles, bows, knives, and all other sorts of weaponry…

She glanced across the room, over to where Hotch and Morgan were talking to the local sheriff, and Hotch looked up and cast her a reassuring look, which she returned.

JJ looked back at the map, only to notice that Reid was giving her an odd look.

"What?"

He stared at her for another moment and then said,

"It's just odd. You and Hotch seem to be closer than normal…I've noticed that he's paired you with me both times on our cases, which makes me think that he's trying to protect you as I'm the last person, usually, to get into trouble…and I'm also the one who carries the biggest gun."

With that being said, he turned back to the map and continued on as though he'd said nothing, and JJ looked at him in surprise.

Reid was more observant of the two of them than she'd thought. Maybe she should be more worried about him and less worried about Garcia…but maybe, she should tell him?

"Hey, Reid-" she started, but he cut her off.

"Yeah, I know, JJ. You and Hotch have been dating. Seriously, though, do you think we should refine our search by criminal record or by non-convicted assaults? The first one would help us find our killer, but if we looked by non-convicted assaults, we just might be able to save our next possible victim…"

She stared at him in shock, but at the same time was slightly offended at how he had just brushed off the fact that her and Hotch were dating.

What, was that not big news in Reid's opinion?

"Reid, how'd you know-"

He cut her off again. "Is this really relevant right now, JJ? Now help me out here…which should we look for first?"

He glanced back down at the file, and then back up at the board, and JJ shrugged, unsure of what to say. "Uhh…I guess victimology would be best."

"I agree," was all he said, and soon it went silent between them as he began to work and JJ tried to process what had just happened. It had all felt sort of surreal, like he hadn't actually said the words, but she could still hear them ringing in her ear, so she said nothing and started to help him.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 29?**


	30. Part XXX

**Part XXX**

Hotch had already developed part of a profile with Morgan, after having sent Rossi and Prentiss over to the last crime scene. Yes, those two were developing a relationship together, but it had mostly to do with the fact that they worked so well together.

Their minds complemented one another's and they picked up on each other's ideas more quickly than anyone else on the team, which was why he had them work together so often on cases and go over crime scenes.

They were able to see what almost no one could catch at times. Rossi had his years of experience, and Prentiss had her tactician's mind, which made them a formidable team.

Hotch was lost in his thoughts, when Reid suddenly called to them from across the room.

"Hey, guys…we're going to call Garcia. I have some information that should help narrow down our search."

They walked over and joined him as he called their favorite tech analyst and then put her on speakerphone.

"_You have reached the genie of knowledge. Please use your wishes wisely…"_

JJ shared a grin with Morgan at her antics, and then they waited as Reid gave her the new parameters for what they were now looking for, instead now focusing on possible victims and _not_ on the unsub.

"Garcia, check to see if there have been any repeat visits to the emergency room here in the city with repeat injuries that were similar to the ones found in our victims, along with convictions of abuse that never fell through."

There was a pause and they all heard her typing away, and then…

"_My goodness, that's a disturbingly long list,"_ she said, and then she asked, _"Can you give me anything else to go on, mister vague?"_

JJ was actually the one to speak up, suddenly realizing what else could narrow down the search significantly.

"Garcia, narrow it down to only young female victims, all under the age of twenty-five."

Hotch, Morgan and Reid all looked at her in surprise, and she quickly explained the conclusion that she'd come to. "I realized that every single one of the women who each of our victims had been accused of abusing…not a single one of them was over twenty-four years old. That can't just be a coincidence, right?"

Morgan gave her a nod of approval.

"Good catch, JJ. That's a really good insight."

Hotch simply nodded, but he gave her a look and she knew that she'd done well.

"_Wow…that just significantly shrunk down my list of names. Thank you very much…"_ They waited a few moments and then Garcia spoke once more. _"Okay, I have twenty-one names, here. Do you have anything else to narrow down my search?"_

Morgan spoke up.

"Focus on white females from low to middle income families."

A couple of seconds passed and then, _"Your list just got whittled down to ten names. Will that be all?"_

"Yes, it will…thanks, baby girl," Morgan said.

"_Anytime, brown sugar…"_ And with that, they hung up, Morgan looking at the phone at what Garcia had just said out loud. That woman was insane, there was no doubt about it.

JJ tried to hold in the laughter, but a faint giggle broke through and she shared a look with Hotch. Then, the unexpected happened.

Hotch turned to Morgan and said, ""Brown sugar"? What happened to "dark chocolate"?"

Reid snorted slightly at Hotch's unexpected comment and JJ tore her eyes away from the three of them, not sure if she could keep herself from laughing hysterically at Hotch's comment, and knew that if she met any of their looks she would be gone in an instant.

Hotch turned away from Morgan's look of incredulity which had turned into surprised amusement, and JJ smiled as he gave her a private look.

He enjoyed pushing buttons every now and again; he just wasn't one to admit it to the team.

She then realized that she needed to tell Hotch about the fact that Reid had already known about the two of them.

"Hotch…" she said, catching his attention, and he turned his eyes to her, and she motioned with her head towards the side of the room, indicating that she needed to talk to him in private. He followed her over to the water cooler, where no one was standing, and she gave him a look.

"Uh, I thought that you'd like to know…Reid knows already, and I didn't even tell him."

One of Hotch's eyebrows went up and she waited for him to say something…_any_thing. And then, finally, he said,

"Yeah…had a feeling that he would."

She gave him a look of incredulity, but he returned it with a soft smile.

"JJ," he said gently, explaining himself. "When it comes to you, Reid is incredibly perceptive. He's blind about the rest of the team most of the time because even though we're his friends, we're not his family…but you, to him, are."

She blushed slightly, but he continued to speak.

"You're like the older sister that he never got to have…and, sometimes, a mother to him as well. He looks to you for reassurance…and he knows when something's going on in your life that you're not telling him about."

At that, she relented, realizing that he was right. Of course Reid had figured it out. And at the same time, she felt those sorts of older-sister and motherly type feelings for him. She cared for him and was always able to pick up on his moods, as well. Of course he was able to pick up on hers. Why wouldn't he?

She then gave Hotch a look, raising an eyebrow.

"You think anyone else on the team knows?"

Hotch grinned. "You kidding? They don't have a clue…except maybe Rossi and Prentiss."

JJ groaned. "Great, so Morgan and Penelope are the only ones who don't know?" Hotch nodded, and she sighed and then gave him another look, one that was easily interpreted.

"I guess it doesn't really matter does it?" Hotch shook his head ruefully, obviously agreeing, but also obviously not happy about it. JJ shrugged. "I guess it's back to the case."

Hotch nodded.

"Yeah…back to the case."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 30?**


	31. Part XXXI

**Part XXXI**

Hotch stared at the information on the page in front of him, looking at each of his victims, trying to see what else he was missing.

There was something else connecting these victims…he could feel it.

But not knowing what it was, was driving him crazy. It was time to talk to the two sisters, the wife, and the girlfriend.

He looked up from the pages and walked across the precinct over to the Sheriff, knowing that it would be best to go through him, as he most likely knew all of the women and had probably already talked to them. He could most likely help.

"Sheriff Richards?" he asked, getting the man's attention.

At six foot even, with broad shoulders and arms that seemed to stretch the limits of his shirt, Hotch would have bet good money that the man had played football in high school.

"Agent Hotchner…what can I do for you?"

The man's tone was cordial, and Hotch gave a brief nod of his head, before submitting his request.

"Sir, I was wondering if it would be possible for myself and my team to talk to the families of each of the victims, if that would be alright."

The large man shrugged.

"Sure, I don't see why not. But I will tell you…not all of them will be willing to talk, if you know what I mean. And I think at least one of them has already left the state, so I'll get you the few that I can."

Hotch just nodded.

"Thank you, Sheriff."

Richards nodded. "Of course, Agent Hotchner. 'S not a problem."

* * *

><p>A few hours later, they had the first victim's younger sister there, Carrie Doyle, as well as the second victim's wife, Tracy Jackson. Apparently, Victoria Sayre, Daniel Messer's girlfriend, had left the state and was now up in New York with family, and Lisa Grayson, the younger sister of their last victim, wasn't willing to cooperate.<p>

Hotch immediately gave out assignments as soon as he had everyone in the same room.

"Rossi, I want you and JJ to interview Carrie. Morgan and Prentiss, take Tracy."

JJ looked at Hotch in surprise, wondering why she was helping to interview, and Hotch quickly explained.

"We know that all of these women were abused, and being alone with two men, or even one man, isn't going to help them to talk. I need at least one woman in the room with them to make them feel safe…"

Everyone nodded, understanding, and then Morgan spoke up.

"What exactly are we looking for Hotch? What can they tell us that they haven't already told the police?"

Hotch just shook his head, still unsure of what his instincts were trying to tell him.

"I don't know, Morgan…anything and everything. We need to dig into their personal lives, see if we've missed anything that connects them. _Some_one links them together, and that someone is most likely going to be our unsub."

With that, he dismissed them, casting a look towards JJ as she left with Rossi. He wondered, briefly, if she was going to tell anyone else on the team, but then dismissed it.

Now wasn't the time to worry about that; now was the time to catch a killer.

* * *

><p>Rossi looked over at JJ and saw how nervous she was, so he gave her a small smile.<p>

"You'll do fine," he reassured her, and then the two of them walked into the room. It was a converted office that had been made into a lounge. They were talking to her there because they felt that it would be less threatening than having her in an interrogation room.

Carrie looked up as they walked in, and JJ felt her heart reach out to her when she saw the young woman flinch slightly as Rossi approached.

JJ put a hand on Rossi's shoulder.

"Rossi…maybe I should…?"

He caught her look, and he nodded, and let her go ahead of him.

JJ walked forward, noting the girl's appearance. She had long straight blonde hair and brown eyes, and was fairly pretty. However, JJ could see the pain in the girl's eyes, and she felt her throat constrict. She quickly swallowed it and began to talk.

"Hi, Carrie…I'm Agent Jareau, and this is Agent Rossi. We just have a few questions about your brother…is that alright?"

Carrie nodded.

"Yeah, it's fine."

JJ simply nodded and then sat down across from her, and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees.

"Carrie, we were hoping that you might be able to help us…you see, we need to find out who did this to your brother and you might know the person who did it without even realizing it, so we're going ask you some questions about the day you found him. Okay?"

She nodded, and then Rossi started.

"When did you find your brother?"

The girl turned her head, thinking for a moment, and then answered.

"It was about noon that day. I had come home from my volunteer work and I found him there, lying on the floor of the living room…dead. I called the police immediately."

Rossi looked at her, confusion across his features. "You didn't check to see if he had a pulse?"

Carrie shook her head.

"No, there was no point. I saw his throat was cut, which meant he was dead. No point in calling an ambulance since they couldn't help, so I called the police."

JJ could hear the lack of emotion in her tone, which immediately tipped her off. Carrie's brother, Travis, had obviously still been abusing her, hence the cold reaction of her reaction to his death. She was most likely relieved, but also still a potential suspect.

JJ followed up on what Rossi had asked, and delved a bit deeper with her question.

"Carrie, you said you had come home from volunteer work…where were you volunteering?"

Carrie simply shrugged and said, "Over at the local high school; I'm a volunteer counselor and mediator for the students. I was going home for lunch when I found Travis."

Rossi looked at Carrie and asked,

"Going home for lunch? But on the report it said that there was only one car in the driveway and that it hadn't been used…"

The blonde girl nodded. "Yeah, I walked home. The school's only a couple miles down the road."

At this, Rossi and JJ shared a look. Only a couple miles down the road? Maybe that was the connection that they were looking for. Rossi quickly realized that they weren't going to get much else out of the girl, and he let her leave, both he and JJ heading back to their "conference" room.

JJ walked in first to see Reid still staring at the map, his eyes intently focused on it.

"Hey, Reid," she said, and his eyes snapped up.

"Hey…you guys get anything out of Carrie Doyle?"

Rossi shook his head, obviously upset with their dead end. "Nope. Nothing that will help us, anyway."

JJ then spoke up, still curious about the connection to the local high school.

"Hey, Reid…where's the local high school in relation to all of the murders?"

Just as she finished asking the question, the sheriff spoke up from the doorway where he had just arrived. He walked over to the map as he spoke, "The local high school's right here…" He pointed to a spot that was in the dead center of all the locations.

Hotch exchanged a look with JJ with a look of approval on his face.

"Good call, JJ. We'll see if any of the other women have a connection to the high school."

At this, Prentiss spoke up.

"Wait, the high school? Tracy said that she had just come home from doing volunteer work at the high school, that she was a _volunteer counselor_…"

Hotch's eyes snapped up and he shared a quick look with everyone on the team. They had another link.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 31?**


	32. Part XXXII

**Part XXXII**

They quickly discovered the pattern between the four women…all of them had been volunteer counselors at the local high school.

Hotch now had the entire team, meaning mainly Garcia, running down possible connections to any of the male teachers or students in the high school that they had all come in contact with.

So far, nothing.

However, according to Garcia there was still a long way to go.

Apparently, it was a rather huge school with several thousand students.

The rest of the team began to try and work a profile of what they had already figured out so far.

"So, according to this geographical profile," Reid said, a finger pointed at the map, "Our unsub _has _to live in this area. And considering the fact that he hasn't been caught and no one has seen him, our unsub blends in. They're most likely an _extremely_ integrated member of the community, someone that no one would suspect, most likely connected with the high school…"

Hotch nodded in agreement and spoke up.

"And considering the time span, four men in two weeks, we need to be aware of the fact that there will most likely be another victim soon."

Rossi looked down at his tablet, reviewing some of his notes, and then said,

"The obsessive nature of the organizing of the objects near the bodied and the leaving of the weapon at the crime scene indicates that our killer has a mental instability, but a controlled one. They could be using it to send a message…"

Prentiss nodded and picked up where he had left off.

"And I think it's fairly obvious that our unsub is _very_ strong, as he was able to cut the piano wire straight through the neck with very little effort, according to the M.E.'s report."

Morgan quickly summarized what they'd discussed.

"So, we're looking for a male, somewhere between twenty and thirty years of age that has an extreme amount of upper body strength, as well as an organized mind, who has managed to stay concealed and not be seen by anyone in the area near any of the crime scenes, and yet is connected with the local high school and has been in contact with each of the victim's significant others, and we have at _least_ forty men who work there who fit this criteria…"

Derek paused and sent a brief glance around the room, sharing a look with each member of the team, and then said,

"Is anyone else bothered by this profile?"

JJ nodded, finally speaking up.

"Yeah…it's about as vague as you can get with the kind of people that live here. _Every_one here is integrated, and we can't rule out any of the senior boys. High school football is like a religion around these parts, and most of the boys are fairly strong, as well as motivated…"

They all nodded in agreement at that, and JJ shared a quick glance with Hotch, feeling the pressure that he must feel every time he took a case.

There was always a chance that they were missing a piece in any given case, and that that piece could change their entire profile.

How did he stand it?

She watched as Hotch walked across to the other side of the room, a hand going to the bridge of his nose.

JJ knew that sign…he was stressed; too stressed to think clearly.

She cast a look over at Rossi, and Rossi gave her a nod. Yes, he knew that she needed to talk to Hotch. With a motion of his head towards the door, he said,

"Derek, how about you, Prentiss, Reid and I go over the people that fit the profile and see if we can find any other way to narrow down our list? JJ and Hotch can work on the press release."

As he spoke, he sidled up next to Prentiss and placed the fingers of his right hand just against her lower back, ushering her towards the door, and Emily tried not to grin at his chivalry...only Dave would do such a thing.

Reid noticed Rossi's hand at the lower back of his colleague and shot a look at Emily, and she tossed him a grin as they left the room, and Derek followed behind with a look of disbelief, a small smile on his face.

JJ stayed behind, now alone in the room with Hotch, and he was avoiding eye contact.

She walked over to the window into the room that showed through into the bullpen area and drew the blinds.

She then walked over to him and moved him towards a chair, even though he protested against it.

"JJ, I'm fine-" She cut him off. "No, you're not. Now sit, Hotch."

He did.

"Hotch…you're stressed. You need to relax for a moment, alright?"

He finally looked up, returning her gaze. And she felt a small smile cross her lips at the sight of his tired brown eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently, and he tilted his head back, his eyes closing.

JJ was suddenly inspired, and she quickly brought up her other hand and put it on his other shoulder and began to ease the tension that had collected in his muscles.

She wasn't the least bit surprised to discover that his muscles were tensed beyond what they should have been…

…but she _was_ surprised to hear a low groan escape his lips.

His head dropped forward to the table and she grinned as she heard him say,

"Feels good. Don't stop."

She dug her fingers in a little bit harder and held back another grin as he let out another groan.

He deserved this. He never had anyone showing him any appreciation for anything that he did, and this case seemed to be wearing him down a bit more than usual.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had so few leads, practically nothing to go on. As she continued to knead the muscles in his neck and shoulders, she thought over the case, wondering what it was that they were missing…nothing came to mind.

She finally decided to leave it up to the rest of the team, and instead focus on coming up with a press release.

They needed to tell the press as much as they could.

With an area as small as this, it was quite possible that someone in the press just might know their' unsub. And they needed that advantage.

She slowly eased up on his shoulders and neck, and watched as he lifted his head from the table.

"Thank you…" He looked up over his shoulder and gave her a soft smile. "I needed that."

Hotch placed his hand over top of hers, where it still rested on his shoulder, and then he slowly stood, seeming much more at ease in his movements, and less tense all over.

He then gave her another smile.

"Let's get back to the case."

She gave him a brief nod, knowing that he needed to get back to work. Solving this case was the most important thing at the moment, and she gave him just what he needed _exactly_ when he needed it.

They walked out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 32?**


	33. Part XXXIII

**Part XXXIII**

Prentiss poured through the files with the three men, trying to figure out what it was that they were missing…and then an idea hit her.

She left the area where they were all going over the files, and quickly called Garcia.

"_Yo, what's your pleasure?"_ was the greeting that she received, and she grinned and then got serious.

"Garcia, out of the names that you originally sent us of women in possible abuse situations because of their hospital records, were there any minors included on the list?"

There was a moment of silence and then,

"_Nope. Not a single one. Why do you ask?"_

Emily couldn't believe that they had missed it. "Do you think that you could check to see if any _men_ came in with any similar injuries and then seemed to check themselves out? It's possible that our unsub is abusive as well, and he might have brought in a daughter or younger sister but only used his name and insurance to cover up anything suspicious…"

There was another pause and then Prentiss heard Garcia take in a sharp breath.

"_There is only one fitting that description, would you like me to send it to you?"_

"Much appreciated, Garcia."

With that, she hung up and walked over to the rest of the team. Hotch and JJ appeared just as she did, so she quickly grabbed everyone's attention.

"Hey, everyone, I think I just might have nabbed us a suspect."

She quickly pulled up the files and explained her reasoning.

"It occurred to me, all of these women came in on their own, but then I thought…what about minors who are still on their parents' or guardian's insurance? Their names wouldn't necessarily show up…but our unsub's just might. So, I had Garcia check for male names fitting our unsub's criteria, and she gave me one name."

She pointed down at the file on her tablet.

"Michael Smith."

Prentiss then picked up her tablet and gave them all a look as she saw what was in the file.

"And get this. He has a younger sister that goes to the local high school, named Kathryn."

Rossi raised an eyebrow and gave her a look of approval and she felt herself warm slightly at his regard. It was always good to know that she had impressed him in some way.

Hotch nodded in approval as well and turned to everyone on the team.

"Good work, Prentiss. In that case, JJ and Reid, I want you to head over to the high school, see if you can talk to the younger sister." The two of them nodded, Hotch and JJ briefly exchanging a soft look before she turned around, and then they headed out. "Rossi, Morgan, and Prentiss, I need you to help me find out everything we can on Michael Smith."

The three of them nodded, but Morgan lingered behind for a moment and then gave Hotch a look, letting him know that he needed to talk to him alone.

They moved to one side of the room, and Morgan started.

"Hotch…is there something going on between you and JJ that I need to know about?"

The older agent smiled at the younger profiler's words, trying not to grin like an idiot.

He placed a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Derek, there has been for a while now. Reid got it before you did."

At this, Morgan's eyes went comically wide.

"_Reid_ got it before I did? You're kidding me right?" Hotch shook his head. "Great, just great. It figures that for something this important, I'd be the last to know."

In order to reassure him, Hotch shook his head once more and clarified.

"Actually, Penelope still doesn't know. So, if you want to be the one to tell her…"

He left it open-ended and gave Morgan a look, one eyebrow raised and Morgan tried not to laugh out loud at the mischievous side of Hotch that he was seeing. Who knew that the man could be so sneaky?

Well, he had kept him from noticing something pretty important.

Morgan just shook his head. "Yeah, I probably better. If she finds out that I knew something _this_ important and _didn't_ tell her, she'd open up a can of whoop-ass on me."

With that, he walked over to the table and picked up his own tablet, starting to go through the files that Garcia had sent pertaining to the case.

At seeing this, Hotch felt a sense of relief overcome him.

They had a suspect, they were close…and things were going pretty well with JJ. Life was good at that moment, and he suddenly had the drive to catch the son of a bitch who had already killed four men. He wasn't going to let him get to five.

* * *

><p>JJ and Reid walked down the hallway of the high school after talking with the principal and getting Kathryn Smith's class schedule.<p>

It was technically after school, but apparently she was head of the cheerleading squad, so they had been told that she was in the gym at this time.

They entered the gym, and in a low voice, Reid whispered to JJ,

"I always hated gym. Gyms in general tend to make me sweat just by looking at them."

JJ laughed and walked across the floor over to where the cheerleading squad was practicing. It was easy to spot which one was Kathryn. One girl stood in front of all the others, showing them a technique of some kind. She had a slight build and dark brown hair.

"Now, don't forget!" they heard her yell to the team. "When you lift, you use the lower back to steady, and you do not, I repeat, DO NOT lock your elbows or wrists!"

They then watched as Kathryn had one of the girls try it, but then failed. They observed carefully as she then spoke quietly, but still captured everyone's attention.

"Look, I know it's hard. Just…just watch, alright?"

JJ and Reid looked on as the petite captain walked up to one of the, uh, more stocky girls, and knelt down on the floor, putting her hands out to hold the girl's foot.

"Okay…on the count of three, got it?"

The girl nodded.

"One…two…three!"

The girl then stepped forward and propped her other foot against her supporting knee, and then both JJ and Reid stood and stared in shock as Kathryn surged to her feet, holding the girl above her head, her legs bracing her as she held the girl by one foot using both hands.

They held the position for a long moment, and then Kathryn said,

"Okay, ready for a catch?"

Several cheerleaders got into position, and she counted it. "One, two, three!"

The girl was pushed slightly into the air and they watched as she twisted down and landed in the waiting arms of the other girls.

"That's how it's done."

They all nodded, and began to pair up, and JJ and Reid walked over the rest of the way.

"Kathryn Smith? I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau and this is Dr. Reid," JJ said, introducing themselves to the young woman. "We're with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, and we were wondering if we might be able to ask you a few questions about-"

Kathryn cut her off.

"The recent murders, right. News travels fast."

They nodded and she motioned with her hand.

"Follow me. We can talk someplace else, just not in front of my girls."

The two agents nodded, understanding, and waited for a moment as Kathryn handed off the duties to another girl, and then followed her outside to some picnic tables.

"How can I help you?" she asked as she sat down.

They sat down across from her, shared a quick glance with each other, and then looked back at her.

"We need to ask you some questions about your brother…"

Her gaze suddenly went from open and willing to help, to closed off and steely in less than a second. She stared at the two of them, obviously upset by the subject, but then relaxed again, shaking her head slightly.

"What do you want to know?"

* * *

><p><strong>Part 33?**


	34. Part XXXIV

**Part XXXIV**

Hotch looked over the information that they had on Michael Smith.

As far as _he_ could tell, besides the supposed abuse accusations, they had nothing to really go on. But there _was_ something that was slightly strange…both he and his sister seemed to have simply appeared when the brother was twenty-three and the sister was eight.

The fifteen year age-gap was slightly odd, and from what they could see, there were no real records for the two of them.

Garcia had quickly found out that the information that he'd used for insurance purposes was fraudulent, and that alone could put him in prison.

But it still didn't give them a reason as to why he was killing these men.

Prentiss suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, Hotch…I think I might know why the records suddenly showed up, but I need to check with Garcia."

Hotch nodded, and they all listened in on speakerphone as Emily dialed their resident font of information.

"_Speak and be heard, my subjects."_

They all smiled slightly, and Prentiss began to ask Garcia questions.

"Hey, Garcia…what can you tell me about those fraudulent records that Smith used?" They heard a flurry of typing and then she replied. _"Well, for one, they're top-of-the-line, and these kinds of fake records ain't cheap, if you know what I mean…"_

Rossi interrupted. "How much money are we talking here?"

They could practically hear Garcia grin as she answered. _"More than _you _could ever make with even _five _book deals, my dear Agent Rossi…about a million would cut it for these bad boys."_

While Prentiss seemed to gain clarity, everyone else looked confused. She then asked another question, which everyone else on the team turning their heads.

"Is there a faint print at the bottom of the documents that looks like it says 'Saint Peter', by any chance?"

There was a pause.

"_Okay, Emily…now _you're_ the one freaking me out. How did you know?"_

The rest of the team looked at her and she quickly explained how she knew. "When I worked for Interpol, one of our jobs was catching some Russian mobsters who were forging passports, birth certificates, death certificates, those sorts of things, and we found that as a code to other forgers to show that it was their' work, they would put the words Saint Peter somewhere into the document. It was sort of, uh, an artistic signature."

Hotch gave her a look.

"Well, then what does that mean?"

Emily sighed.

"It means that Michael Smith and Kathryn Smith are _not_ as simple as we thought they were…they're most likely from a Russian mob family and in hiding here in the states."

She then asked Garcia one last question.

"Do you think you might be able to track down their original names and tell us who they really are, Garcia?"

"_I'm on it."_

With that, they hung up, and everyone shared a look at the information that they'd just uncovered. Was it possible that the people that he was killing had something to do with the mob? Or was it something else entirely?

Morgan finally spoke up.

"Is anyone else getting more and more confused each time we uncover more evidence?"

They all nodded.

Whatever was going on, it was certainly bound to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

><p>Reid and JJ had already asked her some basic questions, and now were headed into the more incriminating ones.<p>

JJ started off.

"Kathryn…when does your brother work?"

She looked at them and then her gaze turned thoughtful as she remembered. "Uh, from eight to six."

Reid nodded.

"And when does he take his lunch break?"

She gave them a weird look, as though trying to figure out what they were doing. "He never takes one. He works straight through the day…I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with anything? Are you accusing my brother of something?"

JJ quickly reassured her. "No, no. We're not accusing him of anything, but we need to rule him out, you see, so that we can find who really did this."

A this, Kathryn relaxed slightly.

"Oh, in that case I can tell you that my brother's innocent. He's a workaholic. If he's not earning money at work or putting in extensive overtime, he's trying to find as many odd jobs as he possibly can in order to support the two of us."

At this, Reid interjected.

"About that…what happened to your parents?"

Her eyes looked down towards the picnic table that they sat at, and she picked at a loose sliver of wood.

"My…my parents died when I was seven. Michael was old enough, so he became my legal guardian and he's been taking care of me ever since…" Her voice drifted slightly but then she shook her head and continued. "He paid for everything, gave me everything I ever wanted, even my piano lessons...and my piano."

She looked up at them and smiled, but JJ and Reid both caught on to her last words. Piano lessons. Piano.

All of the men had been killed with piano wire. They had another link.

JJ leaned forward slightly and gave the girl a soft look.

"Kathryn…does your brother have any habits? Like cleaning or-?"

She was cut off by a sudden bark of laughter from the young woman, who looked at JJ incredulously.

"_My_ brother? Clean? Now _there's_ a good one…my brother's one of the biggest messes I've ever known. I'm the only one who ever cleans around the house. He wouldn't dare let anyone else into the house to do it…he's too ashamed of the mess he makes. I can barely keep up with it, sometimes."

They just nodded and gave her reassuring smiles as they stood.

"Well, in case you think of anything that might be able to help us, please," JJ handed her a card. "Call us."

Kathryn nodded and then stood as well, motioning her head towards the building.

"I better get back to practice."

They let her go, but something was bothering JJ…but she couldn't put her finger on it. Something just wasn't quite right.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 34?**


	35. Part XXXV

**Part XXXV**

The three remaining members of the team continued to pore through the documents, and the entire time, Hotch kept on glancing over to Emily and Dave, a small grin forming at the corner of his mouth at what he was seeing.

The two of them truly were an amusing sight.

Prentiss was bent over her own tablet, sitting at the table, flipping through page after page, and Rossi stood a little behind her, going through them on his own tablet.

Every now and again, Dave's left hand moved to the female agent's shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze.

At the motion, Emily's eyes would glance up at him and the two of them would exchange a soft look. They truly did suit each other in a very unique way.

Hotch briefly wondered if the two of them being together would mess up the team dynamic, but he quickly threw that idea to the side.

No, it wouldn't.

Those two worked together extremely well, and they both were excellent at compartmentalizing…Hotch, on the other hand, knew that things might change if he and JJ were together in such a way.

He worried. It was as simple as that. He worried about JJ, and knew that it affected his judgment.

He was no good at compartmentalizing, and most everyone on the team was aware of that.

The thought lingered at the back of his mind as he turned back to the files, keeping him distracted enough that he wasn't putting his full attention on what was in front of him on the table. Already she was distracting him, and they weren't even together…_if_ they were ever together.

Maybe that's what the true distraction was…they weren't together yet.

Hotch was slightly surprised when his cell phone rang, but when he saw that it was Garcia, he immediately put her on speaker.

"You're on speaker, Garcia. Tell us what you have."

"_Oh, I have everything you asked for and more, my fellow agents! Not only did I find their real names, I also have their birth records, their family history, their blood type, the name of their family dog…everything you could ever hope for and more!"_

The team exchanged a look, and Rossi asked, "Exactly how many cups of coffee had you had, Penelope?"

"_Too many to count, but that's not the point right now, though! Do you want to know who they are or not?"_

Morgan spoke.

"We're all ears, baby girl."

They could practically hear her grin.

"_That's what I like to hear! Okay, first off, Michael Smith is really Mikhail Sidorov, and his little sister is not Kathryn, but Katya. They _are_ brother and sister, according to their records, but the family...let's just say that I grew up normal compared to them."_

"What do you mean?" asked Prentiss.

"_Well, the father was a Russian mob boss and the mother, I'm pretty darn positive, was a bought and paid for wife, like the order by mail kind? Except he did it right in the mother country. After being married for one year they had Mikhail, and, according to some medical records, which, by the way, don't _ask _how I got my hands on them, it looks like the husband was beating the wife _and_ son, starting when Mikhail was seven… _

…_Fast forward eight years, Katya comes into the picture, unexpectedly, and the father, whose name is Anton by the way, now has eight years of gambling debt. Before it can be collected, he dies in a car crash while under the influence of a _ridiculous_ amount of alcohol…"_

She paused for a moment, and they all waited in expectant silence, and then she picked it back up.

"_Now, from what I can tell and from what I know from my extensive knowledge of the Godfather movies, I'm _pretty_ sure that the debt fell to the _son_, which put him and his family into majorly hot water, so, to escape the money problems, and, I must warn you, this is where my skills were stretched to the _max_…he got the forged documents. Don't ask me how he afforded them, I don't know how…_

…_and then the trail goes cold for three months, until they're suddenly in the states. That's all I got."_

"Thanks, Garcia," said Hotch, and he hung up the phone, looking at each of his team members.

They all took in the information, trying to figure out how each piece fit together with what they already knew, and then Prentiss, who had been leading, spoke up, offering her theories.

"The mother _could_ have had some connections and gotten the money for the two of them so that at least _they_ could get out of the country, but the abuse is what catches my attention. If he was abused young, then he wouldn't have known better, and most likely repeated the cycle with his sister…"

The rest of the team nodded, and they all continued to process what they knew.

They were all vaguely aware of the fact that something wasn't adding up, that something didn't sit right with everything that they had. The evidence was…skewed.

After a couple of moments, Hotch looked over at Morgan, who was surprisingly quiet, and from what the esteemed leader could tell, it seemed that the man was deep in thought. But then he saw an expression cross the agent's face that he'd seen before.

He'd connected the dots and figured out what was wrong.

Hotch gave Derek a moment, and only a second after he'd seen the expression, Morgan quickly voiced his thought.

"I can't believe we missed this…we were going about it all wrong. I don't think it's the brother committing these murders…"

Hotch looked at Morgan, trying to follow the agent's line of thought, as did Rossi and Prentiss. He waited for a moment, giving the three agents a few seconds to process what he had just said, and he saw Rossi's eyes glimmer, and knew that he'd figured it out.

Prentiss, however, still seemed a bit confused, so Morgan finished his thought.

"…I think it's the sister."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 35?**


	36. Part XXXVI

**Part XXXVI (36)**

JJ's phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly excused herself, realizing that the call was from Hotch.

"Hey, Hotch...what's new?"

The tone in his voice was severe and his words hit home as he spoke. _"JJ, it's not the brother. It's the sister."_

At this, JJ just said, "Yeah, I thought so," and then proceeded to talk as though she were having a private conversation with someone else entirely. "Thanks for letting us know."

With that, she looked back over towards Reid and Kathryn, carefully choosing her words as she continued to talk to Hotch, trying to find out everything that they had found out for them.

"Anything else we need to know?"

"_Yeah…they're Russian. Kathryn's real name is Katya, and our profile seems to point to her being someone who needs to be in control. The brother's most likely abusing her and is trying to hide from gambling debt inherited from the father."_

JJ nodded. "Okay. Anything else?"

"_Yes, actually, but none of it will help you right now. If you can just bring her down to the station without tipping her off, that'd be great."_

"Okay, Hotch. See you then."

She closed her phone and walked back over to where Reid and Kathryn-Katya-sat. JJ slowly sat down, running her words through her mind before taking any chances for when she spoke. She couldn't tip the girl off that they were bringing her in as a suspect.

"Hey, Kathryn?"

She looked up. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if you might be able to come down and maybe look at a few photos of some possible suspects. See if you remember any of them being around any of these particular counselors," she said, sliding the list of names of the wives of the victims over to the girl.

Reid looked at JJ in confusion, knowing that they didn't have any suspects, but she gave him a subtle look, and he stayed quiet.

Kathryn looked confused. "You need me to come down there? I thought you didn't have any suspects…"

The girl was sharp, so JJ quickly fit together a plausible story from what the girl had just seen.

"That call that I just took? It was our boss calling, and he told me that from some the information that they had, they were able to find a couple of possible suspects, and since we were already talking to you, he thought you might recognize someone, as you're head cheerleader and seem to get around the school quite a bit."

Kathryn relaxed. "Of course, I see. No problem."

She stood and then gave them a sheepish look.

"Can I go tell my girls that practice is cancelled, as well as get my bag?"

Reid nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks."

With that, they followed her to the door to the gym and stood just inside, keeping an eye on her as she delivered the news and grabbed her bag.

"So what's going on, JJ?" Reid whispered into her ear, but she just shook her head.

"Not here, not now. I'll tell you when we get there."

He simply nodded and tugged on the strap of his bag, sliding back up his shoulder, securing it, while JJ kept a careful eye on the young Russian girl who was doing just as she said, grabbing her bag that was just on the other side of the gymnasium.

Even though JJ knew that the profile pointed towards the girl, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

What had been so awful for her that she had become a killer?

Was anyone capable of doing it?

It was a sobering thought, but one that JJ quickly put to the side, realizing that now was not the time to be thinking deep philosophical thoughts. Now was the time to find out why Kathryn was killing these men.

* * *

><p>They arrived at the station without any incident, and as soon as they walked in, Hotch caught JJ's eye and gave her a brief nod.<p>

Carefully, they took her to one of the more secure rooms, making sure that she wasn't aware of where exactly she was being taken. Reid looked over his shoulder and exchanged a glance with Hotch as well, and Hotch nodded to him.

However, Kathryn quickly seemed to catch onto what was going on.

Without saying a single word, she dropped her bag from her shoulder and bolted towards the front door of the precinct.

Two officers tried to grab her, and they watched in shock as she easily shoved them to the ground and ran out into the parking lot, stealing an unlocked bike and then took off down the street. Immediately, several officers ran to their vehicles and started to give chase, but less than a minute later, the sheriff approached them, radio in his hand.

"She slipped into the woods, and we lost her. I've set up some officers at her house, as well as sent a few others with some tracking dogs over to where she was last seen." He sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair, and JJ felt sympathy for the man. "I just can't believe that she's the one who killed those men…"

At this, Hotch stepped forward and quickly reassured him.

"I know it's hard to believe, but we think that she did this out of a deep rooted pain, and that it's an unconscious call for help."

The sheriff nodded and walked back towards his office.

Hotch turned to the team, his face grim, his mouth tightened to a thin line. "Okay, we need to deliver her profile to everyone here in the precinct. Be ready to go in ten minutes."

Everyone nodded, and he then turned his focus just to JJ.

"I need you to call a press conference. We need to warn the public about her. She's unassuming, and a young teenage girl, and if people aren't warned, she could easily manipulate someone into letting her into their home, thinking that she's safe…"

JJ nodded, and then watched as Hotch turned and started to leave, a determination in his stride.

Seeing the tension gathering in his shoulders once more, she quickly approached him and tugged on his shoulder, turning him back towards her.

A question lingered in his eyes and she gave him a slight smile.

"Don't worry, Hotch…we'll get her. And then afterwards, we'll get dinner; okay?"

At that, she felt him relax slightly under her hand and a faint, tired smile crossed the corner of his mouth, his eyes softening as he held her gaze easily and effortlessly. He barely touched his right hand to her own, but she felt the spark right down to her toes.

"It's a date," he said in almost a whisper, and then turned and strode out of the bullpen to meet the rest of the team.

She smiled and then turned her focus to the sheriff, getting the proper numbers for the press.

Time to do her part of the job.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 36?**


	37. Part XXXVII

**PART XXXVII**

As soon as JJ finished the press release, she made her way back inside the building to meet with the rest of the team.

She walked into their temporary conference room just in time to hear Reid say, "…but we still don't know where she's headed. The woods in this particular area are incredibly dense and extremely difficult to traverse. In fact, the state of West Virginia is the least developed state out of all fifty states, most of it being nothing but dense forest and mountains."

The other members of the team nodded, and JJ quickly situated herself in a chair close their esteemed leader.

Hotch, noticing that she was back, turned to her.

"JJ, how'd the press conference go?"

She simply nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. "As well as expected, and at least everyone is now warned about what's going on."

He gave her a nod of approval and then turned back to the map and motioned to Reid.

"Reid…where's Katya's home in relation to the stretch of woods that she ran into?"

Reid looked pensive for a moment, and then tapped his pen a point about four and a half miles from where they'd last seen her. "Here," he said, grabbing a small, red pushpin and pressing it into the point that he'd just shown them.

He then stepped back from the map and his brow furrowed slightly.

"The terrain is rough, so even if she _was_ heading back to her house, it would take her at _least_ seventy to eighty minutes to get there."

However, at hearing this, Prentiss shook her head in disagreement, as did JJ.

Prentiss spoke up.

"Actually, Reid, it would probably only take her between forty and fifty minutes to get there. Remember," she said, motioning towards the picture of the girl they had put up on the board. "She's head cheerleader, which means she's very physically fit, and is used to this terrain, and right now she has a bike…I would think she'd be getting home in about…oh, say, fifteen, twenty minutes from now?"

She had glanced over at JJ, and the blonde profiler nodded.

Morgan and Rossi had been quiet, but then Rossi spoke up, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Yes, that's possible, but why would she head home _now_? She knows we're looking for her and that we'll have eyes on her house…" He paused a long moment.

As he fell silent, a look of comprehension suddenly crossed Morgan's face.

"Hold up, guys," he said from where he sat on the edge of the table, looking at the map. "We're assuming that she's simply running, trying not to get caught, right?" They all nodded, and he continued. "I don't think that's what she's doing. I think she's going to try and finish what she started, but _this_ time, she's going after the true center of her anger…"

He pointed at the other picture that they had up.

"Her brother."

At this, they all seemed to silently agree because Hotch immediately got Garcia on the phone.

"_Hey, boss man, whaddya need?"_

He took a deep calming breath and asked. "I need you to get me the most recent address of employment for Michael Smith."

He waited for several seemingly endless seconds, and then Garcia was back on.

"_Got it. It's called Dave's Build and Repair, and it's on…17 Pheasant Lane."_

Without even bothering to say goodbye, he hung up and motioned to everyone to get ready to go. As they headed to the cars, he yelled out the address to everyone, and then they split up. Reid, Morgan, and Prentiss in one car; JJ, Hotch and Rossi in another.

They drove without sirens, however, not wanting to alert anyone that they were in the area.

Hotch told them that he wanted to try to catch her just as she tried to attempt to do anything, as it would be the best way to grab her.

They parked three blocks down and made their way to the repair shop, guns drawn, as they saw the stolen bike thrown haphazardly on the ground in front of the building.

Hotch began to speak to them in low tones over their earpieces that they'd all put in while on their short drive over to the location. "Morgan, Reid, Prentiss, take the back; JJ, Rossi…you're with me." With that, they all followed out their instructions, each one of them keeping their eyes peeled for Katya or her brother.

JJ then saw a shadow of movement from the corner of her eye, and caught Hotch's eye and then motioned her head in the direction she'd seen the movement.

Hotch took the lead with JJ following and Rossi bringing up the back.

"Guys," Hotch said to their other three teammates as they walked through a doorway and into an office. "We've got movement back here…anything on your end?"

Morgan answered.

"_No, nothing. Want us to meet you up there?"_

Hotch didn't respond, and JJ looked at him and was surprised to see a stony expression across his features. It was something that she rarely saw, and she tried to place it…but then she heard a muffled whimper, and she snapped her head over to look in the same direction Hotch was…

…and there was Michael Smith, or Mikhail Sidorov, on his stomach on the floor, his little sister sitting above him him, a piano wire in her hands that was also wrapped tightly around his neck.

It was obvious that she hadn't been there long as her brother wasn't even red in the face yet, but the three agents could read her aggressive body language.

She was going to do it, and there was nothing that was going to stop her.

She looked up, saw the three agents, and then a disturbing grin crossed her lips.

Katya pulled…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 37?**


	38. Part XXXVIII

**Part XXXVIII**

_Katya pulled…_

…and a loud gunshot echoed through the room.

Both Hotch and JJ were surprised to realize that it had come from Rossi. He'd hit her in the shoulder, rendering one of her arms useless, allowing Hotch and JJ to rush over and pin the girl to the ground, as she fiercely struggled against the both of them.

Unsurprisingly, but still awkward to deal with, was Katya's strength.

She continued to struggle as they pinned her face down and got the handcuffs on her, and then pulled her back up.

As soon as Reid, Morgan, and Prentiss had heard the shot, they had rushed to the front of the building and Prentiss had already called for an ambulance.

JJ looked over at Rossi and saw him helping Mikhail up to his feet, and then pulling out his own cuffs around the older man's wrists. Even though he was technically a victim, he was _still_ guilty of abuse. Abuse, she thought, that had gone on for far too long.

She wondered if the two of them would be extradited back to their own country, having come there illegally.

She shook her head, slightly dizzy by the turn of events. Both the brother and sister would go to jail, and both of them would be testifying against the other for their respective crimes, as well as the brother _also_ being indicted on accounts of fraud and forgery because of all of his fake documentation.

The ambulance, by that point, had arrived and JJ stood back up and moved to the side, not even noticing the fact that Hotch had joined her, his right hand barely hovering over her lower back, almost as though he were trying to reassure himself that everything was okay.

Hotch looked over to Rossi and saw Prentiss approach him.

The two agents looked at each other, and Hotch could read the unspoken dialogue between the two of them by their expressions.

Prentiss lifted her eyes. _Are you okay?_

Rossi gave a slight nod and a faint smile. _Yeah. I'm fine. _His eyes lifted slightly. _You?_

Prentiss grinned. _So long as you are._

Seeing this made him smile. It was amazing that they were withholding hugging, but then he reminded himself that this was Prentiss and Rossi. They were both incredibly professional and serious when it came to their jobs.

He glanced down at the blonde head and next to him and then noticed his hand was still hovering over her back.

Hotch hesitated, trying to figure out whether or not he should touch her, and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be professional. Prentiss and Rossi had resisted; so could he.

He drew his hand back to maintain a professional distance; luckily, she had been so distracted that she hadn't even noticed that he'd been about to touch her.

Quickly, he refocused on the rest of his team, and realized that they all deserved a break after two intense cases that had been relatively close together. And they had all done an amazing job; especially Garcia. He would have to thank her when they got back to Quantico.

After catching everyone's eyes, he motioned them towards the small front door, and they filed out, all of them looking forward to getting back home.

* * *

><p>JJ let her eyes close as she leaned back in the plane seat, letting the barely audible hum of the jet's engines lull her into a semi-conscious state.<p>

She was still aware of what was going on around her…such as the fact that Reid and Hotch were playing a quick game of gin, and that Prentiss and Rossi were sitting next to each other, talking about some book that she'd never heard of, and she could also faintly hear the sound of Morgan's music through his headphones.

Things were good, and she took hold of the feeling tightly, savoring the calm moment.

Those types of moments were few and far between for the Behavioral Analysis Unit family…so she cherished them.

They would be landing soon, and then everything would become real again. _Every_thing.

She was silently dreading the instant the wheels would touch back down, as she knew that this feeling that she had would be gone. The feeling of…well, it wasn't something that she could quite put a finger on, but it reminded her of when she spent time with Hotch, when it was just the two of them.

She guessed the phrase "light as air" might have something to do with it.

JJ had heard it used in cheesy Hallmark movies, and sappy romance novels, but she'd always dismissed it…until now.

Making the decision, she opened her eyes and looked over at Hotch, surprised to see him smiling, his lips stretched wide.

She was slightly upset at first, as she wanted to be the only one who made him smile that way…but at the same time, she realized that it was a good thing. He was opening up to the rest of the team, to Reid, even.

Reid was like a little brother to her, and had been her surrogate son until Henry had come along.

It was unexpected to see the four out of the six members of their team pairing off: her and Hotch, and Prentiss and Rossi.

Though it was unexpected, it certainly didn't seem to be wrong in any way…in fact, it seemed to fit their little family quite well. In fact, it made sense.

She looked at Hotch again and felt her chest fill with warmth. Could she have fallen for him any harder? An almost giddy feeling filled her, and she had the urge to start shouting at the top of her lungs, but she withheld the impulse.

Instead, she settled for simply smiling at him.

After a long moment of staring and admiring, she turned in her seat and made herself comfortable once more, drifting back into her semi-conscious state.

It just might be nice to come back down to the ground, after all…

* * *

><p><strong>Part 38?**


	39. Part XXXIX

**Part XXXIX (39)**

They had been back at work now for a little over a week and nothing significant had happened…which was significant in and of itself.

JJ and Hotch were keeping their relationship under wraps and maintained a normal working environment for everyone on the team, seemingly much to everyone's disappointment. It appeared as though the team had been expecting the two of them to start holding hands in front of them or something.

They were much more subtle than that.

Whenever they went over a case together, he would now stand next to her and let his shoulder lightly touch hers in silent reassurance of his affection.

It was the small things like that that had gotten her through the past few days. They were both busy, and having the reassurance of the other in silent ways was their only way of telling each other that they were still aware of what was happening between them.

Yes, it was hard, and JJ would be the first to admit it, but she was dealing with it in her own way. Throwing herself into her work and into her son.

Hotch, on the other hand, seemed to be going on as though nothing significant had happened, and slowly driving her mad with just the faint reassurances every now and again.

It was sweet, sure, but she knew that she wanted more. The problem was, she didn't know how to get it.

Since they had come back, they had met up only once outside of work, and that was for a quick dinner with their kids at the local fast food joint, MacDonald's. JJ, personally, didn't care for it, but Henry _loved_ it, and apparently so did Jack, so they had decided that one night for the kids wouldn't hurt them.

Boy, had they been wrong.

A little bit of sugar afterwards, not even a whole cone of ice cream, and Henry had been off the walls in ways that she didn't even know that he could be and she had silently vowed to make sure that he never touched ice cream again. _Ever_.

Hotch, on the other hand, had seemed amused by whole thing, even though he hadn't said a word to imply that he was. He hadn't needed to. She had seen the sparkle of humor in his eye as she'd tried to wrangle Henry back to the car from the play area, where he had been running around wildly for nearly twenty minutes straight, ketchup and ice cream stains on the front of his small t-shirt and jeans, while Jack had been perfectly clean.

JJ smiled as she thought of it and rolled her eyes as she remembered him silently flaunting the fact that _his_ son had been perfectly well-behaved.

She spun slightly in her chair, looking out at the bull pen from her office, and smiled when she saw Morgan and Reid tossing a stress ball back and forth between their cubicles. She watched as Prentiss walked in, her nose in a file, and then laughed when the red ball bounced off Emily's head, courtesy of Reid.

"Hey!" she said, looking up and glancing around. "Who threw that?"

Her eyes immediately went to Morgan, but he just shook his head and pointed over at Reid, saying, "Hey, don't look at me, Emily; you can blame pretty boy for _that_ one."

She glared at him while Morgan tried to restrain a grin at seeing Reid slightly scared of the dark haired profiler.

"Morgan's the one who suggested the game!" he said in desperation, trying to defend himself in the only way that he could think of, but Emily would have none of that, and, putting the file on her desk, reached down and grabbed the ball at her feet and threw it at him hard, Spencer barely managing to catch it.

Quickly, he threw it back to Morgan, who was now standing, who then threw it back to Reid, over Emily's head, and then, too quickly for Emily to react, it was back in Morgan's hands.

Morgan threw it one more time, but this time Emily caught it, and threw it right back at him, aiming for his head…and he ducked.

Rossi, who had been walking behind Derek's cubicle, looked befuddled when the red ball hit him squarely in the side of the head and then fell at his feet. He looked over at Emily, whose hand now covered her mouth as she started to say, "Oh god, Dave, I am _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to…!"

The Italian stood there for a moment longer and then said, "Don't tell me…a game of catch gone awry? Most likely instigated by…Morgan?"

Reid sat up, looking surprised.

"How'd you know?"

Rossi sighed and said, "Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago in Garcia's office. _Derek_ happened to be there."

Morgan looked over at him, a grin plastered on his face, still chuckling at the whole incident, and JJ smiled when the older gentleman simply reached across the top of the cubicle and patted a hand on Derek's shoulder before leaning over and picking up the stress ball from the floor. He then said, "Looks like I'm gonna have to confiscate it this time, Derek." He slipped it into his pocket. "Now, how about you three do something _use_ful with your time. Don't you have papers to file or something?"

And with that, he walked away, a small smile lingering on the corner of his mouth.

JJ walked out of her office and, leaning on the railing, she said down to the three of them, "Behave, children, or Uncle Dave will take away the rest of your toys, too," and then turned and headed down to Hotch's office, as she saw Rossi step inside.

She slipped in right behind him and instead of asking her why she was there, he simply nodded and then turned to Hotch, handing him the file in his hand.

"We've got a case," he said simply, and Hotch quickly opened the folder, glanced over it, and then looked back up at Rossi, arching an eyebrow.

"Do you think it's a copy cat?"

Rossi shook his head.

"No. There's too many details that we never released, but they're still the same. I think it's the same guy."

Hotch nodded and then noticed JJ was in the room and stood up and handed her the file. She scanned it quickly and swallowed some of the bile that rose in the back of her throat at the pictures that fell open in front of her. Two homicides. Both of them with missing intestines. Not exactly one of the more gut-friendly kind of cases.

She finally said, "One male, one female, one late fifties, the other early twenties…seems sporadic." She looked at the time stamp and had to do a double take. "Two kills in three days?"

Rossi nodded.

"Exactly why we need to get out there soon. Can you brief everyone on the jet?"

She nodded.

"Consider it done."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N. - Soooooo sorry it's been...wow, two <em>years?!<em> Didn't realize that it's been so long since I've updated. Well, I am now and have some motivation to keep this one going because so many people seem to love it, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Made it a bit lighter because of previous chapters, so enjoy. There's another case...oooohh!...and more things will be revealed about JJ and Hotch, as well as Rossi and Prentiss (though those two are more of a side plot), so enjoy!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Part XL**

On the jet, Reid and Prentiss sat on one side of the small table, Morgan and Rossi on the other, and Hotch and JJ sat off to the side, Garcia on the computer screen in the middle.

Rossi started off.

"Okay, Seattle PD contacted me earlier this morning, late last night for them, about a couple of murders that they can't quite explain." He pulled out the photos from his folder and put them on the table. "Sorry, didn't get a chance to make any copies, so please share among yourselves. Corey Jensen, age fifty-seven, was found murdered in Lincoln Park three days ago, dead from what appeared to be an attempted gutting with a knife."

He pulled out two more photos.

"Karen Jones, twenty-two, was found in Madison Park, cause of death: gutting by knife."

Reid looked over the photos, his eyes scanning them in that quick way of his as he said, "Victimology wise, there doesn't seem to be a pattern, but the fact that they were both dumped in parks might mean something. He seems to be fairly confident about not getting caught, that's for sure," he added, turning the photo around his hand, looking at it from another angle.

Morgan nodded and added, "Plus, the marks on the bodies are identical. See where the cut begins?", he said, setting the picture back down on the table, putting his finger on top of the photo. "Both of the cuts start just under the right rib cage and curve over and down along the left-hand side. Perfectly identical, like the unsub's done this before. No hesitation marks of any kind or any other sign of experimentation with the bodies, which means that he's done this before."

Prentiss nodded.

"Yeah, but like Reid said, without anything connecting the victims, it's hard to get a grasp on the unsub's motivation. There's nothing linking the victims besides the M.O., and with only two bodies that's not exactly much to go on."

Hotch nodded, hearing everyone's input, but instead of speaking up as he usually did, and as JJ was expecting him to, he looked at Rossi and said, "Dave. Do you want to tell them?"

He nodded and quickly explained.

"Back when I was first working with the BAU, we had a case down in Meridian, Mississippi with the _exact_ same M.O. Seven people were killed in fourteen days; one every two days. Same exact markings on all of the victims, no hesitation marks, all of them left in parks in the area. We looked for him for nearly three weeks down there. We found nothing. He left no fingerprints, no DNA, no trace evidence of _any_ kind. After the seven murders, he went silent and hasn't been heard from since. And now…this."

JJ couldn't help but say, "I heard you say to Aaron that this couldn't be a copy cat. Why not?"

Rossi shook his head.

"Because the only thing we ever released to the public was that he had gutted them, when, in fact, he was taking their intestines completely _out_ of their bodies and leaving something behind. _ This_," he added, pulling out one more photo from his folder and sliding it onto the table, "Was found in both of our two newest victims' bodies."

Reid picked it up.

"What _is_ that?"

Rossi gave them all a grim smile and said, "It's a dried up _rat_."

At that, Garcia chimed in from her computer screen, saying, "And on that disgusting note, I will gladly steer the topic of conversation back to the victims. I did some digging to see if I could find any connection between two of them; you know, social networking sites, jobs, activities, all that good stuff, and I'm not finding anything. _But_," she added, seeing Hotch's look, "I will _keep_ digging and if anything pops up I will send it your way faster than the speed of light!"

Hotch nodded and then asked, "What about the previous murders in Mississippi? Do you think that you could factor them in as well? See if maybe there's something that links them together?"

Garcia nodded.

"Consider it done, good sir. Garcia out!"

And with that, the laptop screen defaulted to the blue BAU symbol and everyone turned their eyes to Hotch, but he motioned towards Dave and said, "I want Dave to take the lead on this one. He had the original case and since it came to him, we'll follow his lead."

Slightly surprised, but all okay with it, they turned their heads in Rossi's direction, and he let out a long sigh.

"Okay, then. Prentiss, Reid, head to the coroner's office and see what you can find out from the victims. We didn't a lot of time to get a full tox-screen when we first had the case, so maybe something has changed since then." They nodded. "JJ and Hotch, go ahead and interview the families and see what they know." Slightly surprised that she was being paired with Hotch, fully expecting to be working on a press release, she nodded, and then Rossi finished with, "Morgan, you're with me. I want to go through the old cases with some fresh eyes, see what I might have missed the first time."

Morgan nodded and said, "Sounds good."

Dave then let out a long sigh and then added, "I want to catch the son of a bitch this time."

They could all hear the tone in his voice, and they all silently agreed. Yes, they _would_ catch the killer this time. They had a good team and they knew what they were doing.

Several minutes later, she moved over to Rossi's new seat closer to the back of the plane, and sat across from him and quietly asked, "Do you want me to start working on a press release?", but he shook his head and gave her another grim look.

"No. Last time we did that, he went into hiding and the trail went cold. For now, working with the victim's families will be best for you. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head.

"No, not at all. Anything to help the team, Dave."

He smiled.

"You always help the team, JJ."

She smiled back.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 40?**


End file.
